About Stan Lopata
Stanley Edward Lopata was an American professional baseball player. A catcher, Lopata played in Major League Baseball for 13 seasons in the National League with the Philadelphia Phillies and Milwaukee Braves. In 853 career games, Lopata recorded a batting average of.254 and accumulated 661 hits, 116 home runs, and 379 runs batted in (RBI). Stan went into the Army in December 1943 and served with the 14th Armored Division in Europe, he saw heavy action and was awarded the Bronze Star and the Purple Heart before his discharge in late 1945. The Phillies discovered Lopata when he emerged as a star in the sandlots of Detroit, Michigan, as well as the tough American Legion Baseball league.
Biography source: Wikipedia. The profile adds birthday-specific historical context from the Celebs Birthday Today editorial database.