Future HOFer Al López named manager of Chicago White Sox

After 19 seasons as a major league catcher and six more as a successful manager for the Cleveland Indians, future Hall of Fame manager Al López retired from the game of baseball.

Just one month later, however, on Oct. 29, 1956, López was suddenly back, this time as manager of the American League’s Chicago White Sox. Perhaps a change of scenery was all López needed to convince him to come back. Or, after leaving behind an Indians squad built on power hitting, perhaps it had more to do with a change of style.

“I like a team that can run,” López said when he took over the White Sox. “And now that I’ve got one it’s going to run.”

By 1956, López had established himself as a manager who knew the nuances of the game. He was a two-time All-Star catcher during a 19-year playing career in which he set a major league record (since surpassed) for most games caught with 1,918.

After his playing days were over, López assumed control of the Indians in 1951. Under López’s leadership, Cleveland averaged 95 wins per season – including 111 wins during the 1954 campaign. López and the Indians claimed the American League pennant that season – one of only two instances in the 1950s when the pennant was not won by the New York Yankees.

Upon taking over the White Sox, Lopez transitioned from an Indians club stacked with power hitters such as Larry Doby and Vic Wertz to a ball club that had once been known as the “hitless wonders.” On his way out of Chicago, outgoing manager Marty Marion sarcastically told Lopez that he should “bring his pitchers with him” from Cleveland.

López was not fazed. Known in the clubhouse for his calm demeanor, López was aggressive with his managing tactics and urged his players to run at every opportunity. López recognized that his team, featuring smaller, faster players like Nellie Fox, Luis Aparicio and Minnie Minoso, could use its speed and defensive skills to win games at the White Sox’s cavernous Comiskey Park.

“If you don’t let them score that run -- and you score that run -- you win,” López told them.