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Al Lopez played his first seven big league seasons with Brooklyn. His time with the Dodgers included a .301 batting average in 1933 and an All Star selection in 1934. In both seasons he received support in MVP balloting.

Lopez’s time in Brooklyn ended after the 1935 season when he was shipped to the Boston Braves in a six-player deal. The baseball writers gave him MVP votes in two or his four full seasons in Beantown.

In June, 1940 Boston dealt him to Pittsburgh for Ray Berres and $40,000. His first full season with the Pirates was another All Star campaign. From 1941-1944 Lopez averaged 112 games caught in his age-32 through age-35 seasons. When the durable Lopez caught his 1,788th game in 1945 he broke Gabby Hartnett’s career record for games played behind the plate.

Lopez played one more season in the Steel City before being dealt to Cleveland in 1947. The backstop extended his games caught record to 1,919 games before retiring. Lopez held the mark more than four decades until Bob Boone surpassed it in 1987.

This photo shows Lopez in his catcher’s mask and chest protector and is signed boldly.

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Al Lopez broke in with the Brooklyn Dodgers as a 20-year old catcher in 1928. For the first four seasons of his career he caught Hall of Fame pitcher Dazzy Vance.

During Lopez’ first big league season, Vance led the senior circuit with 200 strikeouts and a 2.09 ERA while winning 22 games. Two years later, Vance topped the league in shutouts and again in ERA.

In this letter the catcher pens a quick note about watching the Cooperstown hurler. “Dazzy Vance was one of the greatest. Sincerely, Al Lopez.”

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After finishing his playing career in 1947, Al Lopez had ambitions of becoming a big league skipper. First he managed in the Indians’ minor league club in Indianapolis for a few seasons. Then in 1951 he got his chance with the big club.

Lopez guided the Indians to second place finishes in 1951, ’52, and ’53 with at least 92 wins each season. Behind the Big Four of Early Wynn, Bob Lemon, Mike Garcia, and Bob Feller and AL home run champ Larry Doby, Cleveland put it all together in 1954 with 111 regular-season wins. Though they were swept in the World Series, it remains one of the best seasons in baseball history.

In ’55 the Indians returned to second place in Lopez’s fifth-straight 90-win seasons. After another second place finish in ’56, Lopez resigned. In his 6 seasons in Cleveland, the team averaged 95 wins per year and posted a .617 winning percentage – the highest of any Indians skipper.

This beautiful original drawing signed by Lopez depicts him as the Cleveland pilot. The drawing was likely sketched in Lopez’ final season as a player in 1947.

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In this handwritten letter Al Lopez praises the artist of the drawing shown in the previous image. Lopez writes, “Enjoyed the sketch very much. Would enjoy one just like it or a bit larger if possible.”.

The letter is on “Hotel Denver” stationary that boasts “Air Conditioned Rooms” and is written in fountain pen. Notice the top right corner of the stationary. There is a line for the author to write in the last digit of the year, “194__”.

If we believe the letter was written in the 1940s it can be traced back to the only year of the decade Lopez was with the Indians. That would be 1947, the catcher’s last year as a big league player.

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Al Lopez had great success in Cleveland. That good fortune followed him to Chicago with the White Sox. Lopez guided the Chisox from 1957-1965, and for a handful of games in ’68 and ’69 after Chicago fired their skipper.

In his nine full seasons in Chicago, the Sox won 90 or more five times. They also won the 1959 American League pennant.

Overall Lopez’ teams won 1,410 big league games while losing 1,004. His teams won 85 or more games every full season he managed and at least 90 in 10 of his 15 campaigns. From 1949-1964 the Yankees won the pennant all but two seasons. Both teams to unseat New York were headed by Lopez. Shown here are two autographed baseball cards from Topps, a 1958 and a 1962 variety.

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Al Lopez enjoyed 36 years in a big league uniform, 19 as a player and 17 more as a manager. Here Lopez  responds to a fan’s request to identify his greatest thrill.

Lopez has difficulty narrowing down his many positive experiences. He does identify playing and managing in All Star games, and managing in two World Series. He ends the letter by saying, “But most of all I enjoy meeting so many fine people in baseball.”

Lopez spent a lifetime in the bigs and gained baseball’s ultimate honor with induction into the Hall of Fame in 1977.

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A willing signer through the mail for many years Lopez decided to stop signing sometime in the early 1990s.

In the collection is a note to a collector who requested that Lopez sign baseball cards. Lopez informs the collector of his change in policy writing, “I have never charged for my autograph. I have also quit signing autographs.”

Ironically, Lopez closes the letter with a salutation and his signature.