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Alfonso Ramon Lopez
Chicago White Sox
Manager
Born: August 20, 1908, Tampa, FL
Acquired: Purchased by the Brooklyn Robins from Jacksonville (Southeastern), August 26, 1927
Major League Teams: Brooklyn Robins 1928, 1930-31; Brooklyn Dodgers 1932-35; Boston Bees 1936-40; Pittsburgh Pirates 1940-46; Cleveland Indians 1947
As a Manager: Cleveland Indians 1951-56; Chicago White Sox 1957-65, 1968-69
Died: October 30, 2005, Tampa, FL (age 97)
Hall of Fame Induction: 1977
As a catcher, Al Lopez played in 19 seasons and was a two-time All-Star in 1934 with the Dodgers and in 1941 with the Pirates. Durable behind the plate, he at one time held the record for total games caught with 1,918, broken by Bob Boone in 1987 and since surpassed by nine other backstops. Known more for his defense than his bat, Lopez was still a career .261 hitter and he hit 51 home runs with 652 RBIs over 1,950 games.
As a manager, Lopez built a Hall of Fame resume by leading the 1954 Indians and 1959 White Sox to the World Series, interrupting a dynasty of Yankee pennant winning teams between 1949 and 1964. Over 17 seasons as a manager, he compiled a lifetime winning percentage of .584, going 1,410-1,004. In the years between 1951 and 1965, his teams finished in second place or won the pennant 12 out of 15 times. The Veterans Committee elected him into the Hall of Fame in 1977.
At the age of 97, Lopez watched the White Sox win the World Series in 2005, their first title since 1917. He passed away four days later and at the time of his death he represented the last living ballplayer who had played in the majors in the 1920s.
Died: October 30, 2005, Tampa, FL (age 97)
Hall of Fame Induction: 1977
As a catcher, Al Lopez played in 19 seasons and was a two-time All-Star in 1934 with the Dodgers and in 1941 with the Pirates. Durable behind the plate, he at one time held the record for total games caught with 1,918, broken by Bob Boone in 1987 and since surpassed by nine other backstops. Known more for his defense than his bat, Lopez was still a career .261 hitter and he hit 51 home runs with 652 RBIs over 1,950 games.
At the age of 97, Lopez watched the White Sox win the World Series in 2005, their first title since 1917. He passed away four days later and at the time of his death he represented the last living ballplayer who had played in the majors in the 1920s.
Some text for this post originally appeared on my 1965 Topps blog.
The Card / White Sox Team Set / Accuracy Index +5
1969 Season
Lopez managed the first 17 games of the White Sox season, guiding the team to an 8-9 record, before the insomnia that plagued his later years as a manager returned. Acknowledging it was time to leave the dugout, he first told his coaches of his decision to step down, and handed the reins to coach Don Gutteridge. With Gutteridge at the helm, the White Sox compiled a 60-85 record, finishing 68-94 overall, and in fifth place in the American League West. The expansion Pilots lost four more games, saving the White Sox from a last place finish.
Other Notable Baseball Cards
First Mainstream Card: 1934-36 National Chicle Diamond Stars (R327) #28
Topps Flagship Set Appearances (7): 1960-65, 1969
Most Recent Mainstream Card: 2023 Panini Prize #267
Total Non-Parallel Baseball Cards: 235 in the Beckett online database as of 2/2/25.
Sources:
Baseball Reference - Lopez / Baseball Reference - 1969 White Sox / SABR / Wikipedia
Building the Set / Card #459
December 15, 2024 from The Philly Show (Uncle Dick's Cards)
On Sunday, December 15th, Doug and I attended the latest Philly Show, spaciously spread out inside Hall A of the Greater Philadelphia Expo Center in Oaks, Pennsylvania. I wrote a full show report over at The Phillies Room, including some thoughts on attending the show with our oldest son, who first graced the Philly Show floors back in 2012.
December 15, 2024 from The Philly Show (Uncle Dick's Cards)
On Sunday, December 15th, Doug and I attended the latest Philly Show, spaciously spread out inside Hall A of the Greater Philadelphia Expo Center in Oaks, Pennsylvania. I wrote a full show report over at The Phillies Room, including some thoughts on attending the show with our oldest son, who first graced the Philly Show floors back in 2012.
Having had success the prior two shows at Uncle Dick's Cards with his well-organized, neon common binders, I opted to pull up a chair once again at the friendly dealer's array of tables. The aim was simple: Clear out Uncle Dick's 1969 Topps commons, starting off where I had left off the year before with card #501 and going through the end of the set, card #664. In less than 25 minutes, I completed my quest, and this is the 15th of 98 commons pulled from the binder. After a generous dealer discount due to my bulk purchase, this card cost me less than $3.
The Card / White Sox Team Set / Accuracy Index +5
Lopez had last appeared on a Topps card back in 1965, and the photo used here is from the same session as the photo used for that 1965 card. The back of the card highlights his 1959 American League pennant winning team.
Accuracy Index: Lopez earns a +5.
1969 Season
Lopez managed the first 17 games of the White Sox season, guiding the team to an 8-9 record, before the insomnia that plagued his later years as a manager returned. Acknowledging it was time to leave the dugout, he first told his coaches of his decision to step down, and handed the reins to coach Don Gutteridge. With Gutteridge at the helm, the White Sox compiled a 60-85 record, finishing 68-94 overall, and in fifth place in the American League West. The expansion Pilots lost four more games, saving the White Sox from a last place finish.
Starting pitcher Tommy John (#465) and shortstop Luis Aparicio (#75) were the team's best players. Aparicio batted .280 while providing steady infield defense. Third baseman Bill Melton (#481) led the team with 23 home runs and 87 RBIs. Left fielder Carlos May (#654) was second on the club with 18 home runs. John was 9-11 with a 3.25 ERA in 33 starts. Joe Horlen (#328) led the staff with 13 wins, and lefty Gary Peters (#34) had a team-leading 140 strikeouts. Wilbur Wood (#123) and his knuckleball made 76 relief appearances, saving 15 games.
The White Sox nearly left Chicago for Milwaukee, as car salesman Bud Selig tried to convince their owner to sell to him. The White Sox would remain in Chicago, with Selig instead orchestrating the Pilots move from Seattle to Milwaukee for the 1970 season.
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First Mainstream Card: 1934-36 National Chicle Diamond Stars (R327) #28
Topps Flagship Set Appearances (7): 1960-65, 1969
Most Recent Mainstream Card: 2023 Panini Prize #267
Total Non-Parallel Baseball Cards: 235 in the Beckett online database as of 2/2/25.
Update Cards
For my 1965 Topps blog, I used the team card posts to come up with five or six candidates per team for an imaginary update series. With no team cards in the 1969 Topps set, I'll use each manager card for this exercise, and come up with a list of deserving cards to be included in an 8th/update series.
- Don Gutteridge (manager) - Gutteridge would manage the White Sox for the bulk of the 1969 season and for 136 games of the 1970 season, before being replaced by Bill Adair on an interim basis and then Chuck Tanner on a permanent basis.
- Gail Hopkins (1b) - Gail Hopkins made 94 starts at first base and would earn his rookie card in the 1970 Topps set.
- Bobby Knoop (2b) - Bobby Knoop (#445) made 100 starts at second base after being acquired from the Angels on May 14th for Sandy Alomar (#283) and Bob Priddy (#248).
- Carlos May (lf) - May was Chicago's regular left fielder and shared a Rookie Stars card in the set with two other players.
- Billy Wynne (rhp) - And finally, Billy Wynne, a classmate of my Dad's at Pfeiffer College, would earn a card in my update set. Wynne was 7-7 with a 4.06 ERA in 20 starts.
Baseball Reference - Lopez / Baseball Reference - 1969 White Sox / SABR / Wikipedia
National Baseball Hall of Fame
Beckett Database / The Trading Card Database
1934-36 Diamond Stars Blog / 1965 Topps Blog
Beckett Database / The Trading Card Database
1934-36 Diamond Stars Blog / 1965 Topps Blog
#526 Hector Torres - Houston Astros / #528 Claude Osteen - Los Angeles Dodgers
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