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BOSTON - JUNE 3: Infielder Hector Lopez #11, of the New York Yankees, sits on the dugout wall prior to a game on June 3, 1966 against the Boston Red Sox at Fenway Park in Boston, Massachusetts. (Photo by: Diamond Images/Getty Images) | Diamond Images/Getty Images
Héctor López never should’ve started in Game 5 of the 1961 World Series. After posting the worst offensive season of his career, hitting .222 with three home runs in 274 plate appearances, the righty had fallen into the weak side of a platoon with Yogi Berra in left field. He started Game 1 against the left-handed Jim O’Toole, going o-for-2 before getting pulled for a pinch hitter, and was used only as a reserve in the next three games.
But Mickey Mantle left Game 4 with a nagging hip injury, opening the door for López to draw a rare start against a righty hurler in Game 5 with the Yankees up three games to one. Always known for his clutch hitting—López’s career batting average with runners in scoring position was nearly 30 points higher than his overall mark—he made the most of the unexpected opportunity, hitting an RBI triple in the first and a three-run homer in the 4th before adding a run via a sacrifice bunt in the sixth for good measure.
The Yankees’ Swiss Army Knife had come through yet again, playing a starring role in the clincher game for the Yankees’ 22nd title.
Héctor Headley López
Born: July 8, 1929 (Colón, Panama)
Died: September 29, 2022 (Hudson, FL)
Yankees Tenure: 1959-66
The son of a local pitcher, López cut his teeth in Colón, Panama playing in pickup games, where he quickly stood out for his proclivity with the bat. After a stint in Panamanian professional ball, he signed on with the independent St. Hyacinthe Saints in Quebec. López played well enough in that more high-profile league to sign on with the Philadelphia Athletics in 1953.
Long the class of the AL, the A’s had fallen on hard times. They moved to Kansas City in 1954 and, by the following year, called up López in search of a spark. The 25-year-old immediately showcased the hit tool that had taken him from Colón to the big leagues, hitting .290 in 527 plate appearances. He would hold down a starting role with the A’s through the 1959 season, hitting .278 with a 107 OPS+ as a bright spot on a team that never finished higher than sixth place during his tenure.
Playing mostly third base, he also developed the poor defensive reputation that would dog him throughout his career, leading the league in errors in three of his four full years in Kansas City. Early in the 1959 season, the A’s shipped López and starter Ralph Terry off to New York, their favorite trade partner of that era. He adjusted quickly, slashing .283/.336/.451 the rest of the way while droving in a career-high 93 runs. Despite this offensive output, his defensive woes were too much for his future Hall of Fame manager to abide. “If I bench him I bench 93 runs, but I would like better fieldin’ outta my 93 runs,” Casey Stengel lamented before moving López to the outfield full-time for the 1960 season.
López would alternate between the outfield corners for the rest of his career. A valuable part-time player on star-studded rosters, he played in five consecutive World Series, slashing an impressive .286/.333/.536 against the best the Senior Circuit had to offer.
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At the beginning of his time in pinstripes, López lived in a two-family home in Brooklyn, first commuting to the stadium by train before getting a car. López married his wife, Claudette, in 1960, and the young family eventually relocated to West Hempstead, Long Island.
By 1966, the Panama Clipper was 36 and no longer hitting well enough to justify his super-utility role. After batting .214 in just 117 at-bats that year, the Yankees released him. He retired as the first Panamanian player to play a deacade in the majors, and the first with over 1,000 games played. Only Hall of Famer Rod Carew, slugger Carlos Lee, and Brewers great Ben Oglivie have surpassed him. After a couple of seasons in the minors, López received the opportunity that would serve as his epitaph, becoming the first Black manager at the Triple-A level while leading the Buffalo Bisons.
López wore many hats after his playing career was done. He worked for the parks department and coached high school baseball in Hempstead, and returned to the pros to do some scouting and coaching in the Yankees and Giants’ systems. His last high-profile role came in 2009, when he managed Team Panama in the World Baseball Classic. Throughout, he was a fixture at Old-Timers’ Day at Yankee Stadium, attending the event for a record 53 years straight until it was put on hold in 2020.
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López passed away from complications from lung cancer in 2022.
While never a star, Héctor López lived an extraordinary baseball life. The man himself summed it up best. “Just being able to play in the big leagues for as long as I did at the time that I played is something I’m proud of,” said López. “There was a lot of competition, a lot of great players during the ’50s and ’60s. Plus the fact that there weren’t that many Black ballplayers at that time. Especially in the American League. So I guess you can say I made the most out of my opportunities.”
He certainly did.
See more of the “Yankees Birthday of the Day” series here.
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