finished second in , but finally broke through and won the American League pennant in , losing to the Los Angeles Dodgers in the World Series. By this time, Lopez was very well respected and in-demand manager, and in the middle of the 1960 season, a friend of New York Yankees president Dan Topping told an Associated Press reporter that López would replace Yankees manager Casey Stengel. (Stengel had managed López years earlier when López was a catcher for Brooklyn and Boston.) Despite rumored and confirmed inquiries from other teams, López stayed with Chicago until 1965, finishing in second place five times and never posting fewer than 82 wins. López retired to the White Sox front office after the 1965 season due to a chronic stomach condition and assumed the title of team vice president. He returned to managing in July 1968, when White Sox manager Eddie Stanky was fired. Lopez was able to get most of his former coaches to return to the team. However, he had to undergo an appendectomy shortly after taking over as manager and missed most of the rest of the season. He agreed to manage the White Sox again in , but continuing health issues forced him to resign in early May, less than a month into the season. Managing style López was known for never scolding or shouting at his players and avoiding pep talks in lieu of constructive criticism. Indians owner Bill Veeck commented that López's only fault as a manager was that he was "too decent", a description that López took as a compliment. Veeck also said that López's "completely relaxed" leadership "squeezed every drop of talent out of his teams". Describing López and his managerial style, a 1957 Sports Illustrated piece said, "For Lopez, managing is a constant worry, a nervous strain, a jittery agony. Some managers thus beset relieve the harrowing pressure by exploding in sudden rages at players and sportswriters, or else by maintaining an almost sphinx-like silence in an effort to remain calm. But Lopez is a gentleman — a decent, thoughtful, exceptionally courteous man. He seldom permits himself the luxury of a temper tantrum, and he talks to anyone who talks to him." Later, his son shared that, while he did not demonstratively show it, his father hated to lose, and suffered from chronic insomnia and stomach issues during the baseball season. Tommy John, who spent