Hector Lopez, 83, reached out to welcome me and I thought, "This hand shook Mickey's hand.'' It seemed strange, ... Sometimes they'll bring a friend by the house for an autograph.

Hector Lopez, left, with the Yankees closer Mariano Rivera, a fellow Panama native, at Yankee Stadium before an old-timers game in 2013. Lopez played 12 major league seasons.

Lopez was traded to the Yankees in 1959, a year in which he hit .283 with 22 home runs and 93 RBIs for the A's and Yankees. Lopez had seven RBIs in the 1961 World Series and went 2-for-4 with five ...