Johan sports L¨®pez jersey in surprise ceremonial first pitch salute
Do-Hyoung Park
@dohyoungparkMINNEAPOLIS -- 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.
L¨®pez 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 L¨®pez bring the baseball out to the mound.
But Santana held up his hand to stop L¨®pez 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 L¨®pez¡¯s jersey, in a clear nod to the tribute L¨®pez had paid him a week ago.
L¨®pez turned back toward his dugout with a smile of disbelief as Santana spun on the mound and pointed to L¨®pez¡¯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 L¨®pez arrived to the organization in the offseason trade with the Marlins that sent Luis Arraez to Miami, L¨®pez 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.
L¨®pez 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.¡±