Over nearly two decades one of baseball’s most dependable backstop, Al López built a reputation that any man would be proud to hang his hat on.

But it was López’s second act as a manager that cemented his place as a legend of the game.

Beginning at age 16, when he signed with the Class D team in his hometown of Tampa, López displayed his skills as a consistent defensive catcher who showed an impressive ability to handle pitchers. López played 1,918 games behind the plate during 19 seasons with the Brooklyn, Boston, Pittsburgh and Cleveland, setting a major league record for games caught that stood for 40 years.