Alfonso Ramon "Al" Lopez
(Aug. 20, 1908 – Oct. 30, 2005) Al Lopez was an American catcher and manager in Major League Baseball and the son of immigrants from Asturias, Spain who went to Cuba, then settled in Tampa's Spanish-speaking Ybor City section.
He established a major league record for career games as a catcher, and later became the only manager to interrupt the New York Yankees' string of American League pennants from 1949 to 1964. Over the course of 15 full seasons as manager, he never had a losing record.
Born in Ybor City in Tampa, Florida, the son of a cigar factory worker, Lopez' baseball career began with the local team, the Tampa Smokers, in 1924. He broke into the major leagues briefly in 1928 with the Brooklyn Dodgers, and became their starting catcher in 1930. Over a career which ran until 1947, he played for the Dodgers, Boston Bees, Pittsburgh Pirates and Cleveland Indians. His best season was in 1933, when he hit .301, stole 10 bases, and finished 10th in National League MVP voting. In 1945, he surpassed Gabby Hartnett's record for career games as a catcher. The record stood until 1987, when Bob Boone broke it; Lopez' National League record was broken by Gary Carter in 1990. <Cont. on next page>
