Héctor López

Héctor López

Héctor Headley López Swainson (July 8, 1929 – September 29, 2022) was a Panamanian professional baseball left fielder and third baseman who played in Major League Baseball for the Kansas City Athletics and New York Yankees from 1955 to 1966. He won two World Series with Yankees in 1961 and 1962. He later became the first black manager at the Triple-A baseball level. López was the second Panamanian-born major league baseball player and continued to be one of the country's most revered world champion athletes. Although Humberto Robinson debuted in the major leagues 22 days earlier than López, López was the first major leaguer born in Panama to have an extensive career.Lopez was a reliable hitter but a questionable fielder. He was an infielder for the Athletics, and later was often the third outfielder on the Roger Maris/Mickey Mantle Yankees of the early and mid-1960s. López had his most successful season in 1959, but continued to contribute effectively during the early 1960s during their pennant successes. The utility player divided his career almost equally between infield and outfield positions. After retiring from baseball, he went on to become a groundbreaking manager in minor league baseball as the first to break the baseball color line as a black manager at the Triple-A level for the Buffalo Bisons and then served in various international managerial and coaching positions.

Update this biography »
Complete biography of Héctor López »