Major League Baseball Player. For thirteen seasons (1948 to 1960), he played at the catcher position with the Philadelphia Phillies and Milwaukee Braves. Born Stanley Edward Lopata, he attended Southwestern High School in Detroit. During during World War II, he served with the 14th Armored Division with the United States Army in the European Theater and from this experience, he earned a Bronze Star and a Purple Heart. Signed as an amateur free agent by the Phillies after impressing a scout during his sandlot days in Detroit, he marked his Major League debut with them as a late season addition on September 19th, 1948. Lopata spent the first half of his career sharing catching duties with Andy Seminick and Smoky Burgess. He was a contributor to the 1950 National League Pennant-winning Phillies' squad dubbed the "Whiz Kids" and appeared in two games during the 1950 World Series. As his playing time increased, so did his offensive production and in 1955, he belted 22 home runs in 99 games for which earned him All-Star status. The following season (1956), he yielded a career-high 32 home runs with 95 runs-driven-in and for his efforts, he achieved All-Star honors consecutively. In 853 regular season games, he compiled 661 hits with a .254 lifetime batting average. After retiring from baseball, he worked at a steel plant in his native Michigan and later returned to the Philadelphia-area where he worked for IBM. A footnote to his career; it is widely believed Lopata was the first catcher in the National League to wear glasses. He is a member of the Pennsylvania Sports Hall of Fame and the Polish-American Sports Hall of Fame.
Major League Baseball Player. For thirteen seasons (1948 to 1960), he played at the catcher position with the Philadelphia Phillies and Milwaukee Braves. Born Stanley Edward Lopata, he attended Southwestern High School in Detroit. During during World War II, he served with the 14th Armored Division with the United States Army in the European Theater and from this experience, he earned a Bronze Star and a Purple Heart. Signed as an amateur free agent by the Phillies after impressing a scout during his sandlot days in Detroit, he marked his Major League debut with them as a late season addition on September 19th, 1948. Lopata spent the first half of his career sharing catching duties with Andy Seminick and Smoky Burgess. He was a contributor to the 1950 National League Pennant-winning Phillies' squad dubbed the "Whiz Kids" and appeared in two games during the 1950 World Series. As his playing time increased, so did his offensive production and in 1955, he belted 22 home runs in 99 games for which earned him All-Star status. The following season (1956), he yielded a career-high 32 home runs with 95 runs-driven-in and for his efforts, he achieved All-Star honors consecutively. In 853 regular season games, he compiled 661 hits with a .254 lifetime batting average. After retiring from baseball, he worked at a steel plant in his native Michigan and later returned to the Philadelphia-area where he worked for IBM. A footnote to his career; it is widely believed Lopata was the first catcher in the National League to wear glasses. He is a member of the Pennsylvania Sports Hall of Fame and the Polish-American Sports Hall of Fame.
Bio by: C.S.
Advertisement
See more Lopata memorials in:
Explore more
Sponsored by Ancestry
Advertisement
