Hector Lopez, Who Broke a Baseball Color Barrier, Dies at 93

His first year in New York, he made 17 errors in 76 games at third base (and three more in the outfield); however, he hit .283 with 16 homers for the Yanks, and including his time with Kansas City, drove in 93 runs for the 1959 season. His new manager, Casey Stengel, described Lopez, “a man which batted in 93 runs,” as a conundrum: “If I bench him I bench 93 runs, but I would like better fieldin’ outta my 93 runs.”

This was the start of a dynastic period for the Yankees — from 1960-64, they were American League champions every year, capturing the World Series in 1961 and 1962 — and Lopez often played in the same outfield with the star sluggers Mantle and Maris or substituted when one or the other was injured, a not infrequent occurrence.

Living in Brooklyn during his early Yankee years, as an indication of both the times and his secondary role on the team, he commuted to work in the Bronx on the subway, largely without being recognized. In eight years as a Yankee, he hit .262, respectable for a utility man, but he was better in the postseason, hitting .286 in 15 World Series games.

Hector Headley Lopez Swainson was born on July 8, 1929, in Colon, Panama, where his father, a salesman, was a pitcher in local leagues. Young Hector graduated from an English-speaking high school and for a while studied auto mechanics and worked in a bowling alley.

Article source: https://www.nytimes.com/2022/09/30/sports/baseball/hector-lopez-dead.html