Johan sports López jersey in surprise ceremonial first pitch salute

MINNEAPOLIS -- When Pablo López walked into Target Field before that American League Wild Card Series Game 1 start on Oct. 3, in which he helped to snap Minnesota’s 18-game playoff losing streak, he wore the old-school Twins pinstriped home jersey bearing the name of his childhood idol: Longtime ace Johan Santana.

López channeled those good vibes to the field -- and Santana brought more himself on Tuesday afternoon.

Santana was on hand to throw the ceremonial first pitch to his old battery mate, Joe Mauer, before Minnesota's 9-1 loss to Houston Game 3 of the AL Division Series at Target Field, and the Twins added meaning to the occasion for their ace of the present by having López bring the baseball out to the mound.

But Santana held up his hand to stop López before he got all the way there. That gave him a pause in which Santana unzipped the navy blue jacket he had on for the chilly 54-degree day in Minneapolis -- to reveal that, underneath, he was wearing López’s jersey, in a clear nod to the tribute López had paid him a week ago.

López turned back toward his dugout with a smile of disbelief as Santana spun on the mound and pointed to López’s name and number on his back.

“It’s the least I can do,” Santana said. “He’s a great pitcher. He’s a great human being. Just to have an opportunity to share that moment with him and with the fans, it’s always good.

“Definitely, he’s doing his job. I wish him all the best, and I think he’s got everything it takes to win it all.”

From the moment López arrived to the organization in the offseason trade with the Marlins that sent Luis Arraez to Miami, López was very open about how the Twins’ organization always carried special meaning for him because he grew up idolizing Santana -- his countryman -- while growing up as a young baseball fan in Venezuela.

López has given Twins fans glimpses of performances rarely seen in the Twin Cities since the days of Santana -- and for one day, Minnesota fans saw it all come full circle as their ace of the past paid homage to their ace of the present.

“When I talked to him at the [World Baseball Classic] about the whole thing and how important I was for his career and everything, it meant a lot to me,” Santana said. “There’s nothing I can do, but to be grateful about the whole thing.”