As a player, López was a two-time All-Star known for his defensive skills, leadership, and durability, as he established a major league record for career games played at catcher (1,918) that stood for decades.

His 1954 Cleveland Indians and 1959 Chicago White Sox teams were the only squads to interrupt the New York Yankees' string of American League pennants from 1949 to 1964, inclusive.

[3] In 1906, Modesto went to the Cuban-Spanish-Italian immigrant community of Ybor City in Tampa, Florida, to seek better wages and living conditions, temporarily leaving his family behind until he had established a home in their new country.

[7] He began to follow baseball when his elder brother Emilio introduced him to the game during the 1920 World Series, which coincidentally involved two teams that Lopez would later play for - Cleveland and Brooklyn.

[9] His starting salary with the Smokers was $150 ($2,667 today) per month, which was much needed by the large Lopez family since his father's health was deteriorating and he could not work regularly.

[10]) Soon after signing with the Smokers, Al López impressed Hall of Fame pitcher Walter Johnson with his catching skills during a winter barnstorming exhibition game.

At Johnson's recommendation, Al was hired as a practice catcher for the Washington Senators during spring training in 1925, a valuable learning opportunity that he later credited with making him a better ballplayer.

[14] López decided to seek a job as a baseball coach or manager upon retiring after the 1947 season, which he'd spent as the backup catcher for the Cleveland Indians.

Bill Veeck, the new owner of the team, was unhappy with how Indians player-manager Lou Boudreau had handled the club, and he asked López if he would be interested in taking the position.

Meanwhile, López began his managing career in 1948 with the Indianapolis Indians, the Pittsburgh Pirates's Class AAA minor league affiliate.

He spent three years in Indianapolis, leading his squads to one first place and two second-place finishes in the American Association while also serving as the team's reserve catcher.

[7] Before the 1950 season, López re-signed with the Indianapolis Indians for the largest salary of any manager in American Association history, with a clause in his contract which allowed for him to leave if offered a managerial position with a major league club.

[18] The White Sox did not have the power hitters of Lopez's Cleveland teams, but they had more speed with players such as Nellie Fox, Minnie Miñoso and Luis Aparicio.

In 1957, his first year in Chicago, López's White Sox won 90 games and finished in second place behind the Yankees while the Indians suffered through a losing season.

Chicago again finished second in 1958, but finally broke through and won the American League pennant in 1959, losing to the Los Angeles Dodgers in the World Series.

Despite rumored and confirmed inquiries from other teams, López stayed with Chicago until 1965, finishing in second place five times and never posting fewer than 82 wins.

[19] López retired to the White Sox front office after the 1965 season due to a chronic stomach condition and assumed the title of team vice president.

He agreed to manage the White Sox again in 1969, but continuing health issues forced him to resign in early May, less than a month into the season.

[26] Describing López and his managerial style, a 1957 Sports Illustrated piece said, "For Lopez, managing is a constant worry, a nervous strain, a jittery agony.

Some managers thus beset relieve the harrowing pressure by exploding in sudden rages at players and sportswriters, or else by maintaining an almost sphinx-like silence in an effort to remain calm.

"[27] Later, his son shared that, while he did not demonstratively show it, his father hated to lose, and suffered from chronic insomnia and stomach issues during the baseball season.

[19] Al López met Evelyn "Connie" Kearney, a dancer at the Hollywood Club in New York, while he was playing for Brooklyn in the early 1930s, and the couple often went on double dates with teammate Tony Cuccinello and his wife.

Lopez was the manager of the Cleveland Indians and had just led them to the World Series when the city of Tampa built a new minor league and spring training ballpark.

[37] When the expansion Tampa Bay Devil Rays began play in 1998 in nearby St. Petersburg, Lopez threw one of several ceremonial first pitches along with fellow Hall of Famers Ted Williams, Stan Musial, and Monte Irvin.