MINNEAPOLIS -- The next time Pablo López takes the mound, he¡¯ll likely carry with him the best hopes the Twins have had in some time of busting out of their inglorious and record-setting 18-game playoff losing streak.

That¡¯s because, on Wednesday, L¨®pez put the finishing touches on the kind of season not seen from a starting pitcher in Minneapolis in quite some time, wrapping up a second consecutive full season of 32 starts with a shortened outing in the Twins¡¯ 6-4 win over the A¡¯s at Target Field to keep him fresh for his playoff debut, presumably in Game 1 of the AL Wild Card Series.

• Games remaining (4): vs. OAK (1), at COL (3)
• Standings update: The Twins (85-73) have clinched the American League Central and currently hold the AL¡¯s No. 3 seed, meaning they would host a best-of-three Wild Card Series vs. the final Wild Card entrant starting on Oct. 3. Minnesota trails No. 2 seed Texas (89-69) by four games.
• Elimination number: 1?(for No. 2 seed in AL and first-round bye)

Manager Rocco Baldelli hasn¡¯t yet explicitly confirmed that L¨®pez will get Game 1, but he¡¯s already said L¨®pez and Sonny Gray will get Games 1 and 2, calling it ¡°pretty obvious¡± -- and with the way the rest of the schedule lines up, L¨®pez would be on the mound for Game 1.

¡°I take a lot of pride in it,¡± L¨®pez said. ¡°It makes me really happy, because every single start, I¡¯ve been working really hard to make sure that when I take the mound, I¡¯m giving the team the best opportunity, and I think having that team mentality is what¡¯s been able to keep me looking forward to the next game.¡±

That would be a fitting reward for L¨®pez¡¯s body of work in his first season with the organization. Following his arrival from the Marlins in a trade that sent fan favorite and reigning AL batting champion Luis Arraez to Miami, the Twins immediately showed their commitment to L¨®pez by giving him a four-year, $73.5 million extension.

L¨®pez finished with a 3.66 ERA in 194 innings, the most by a Twins pitcher since Jos¨¦ Berr¨ªos in 2019. He had 234 strikeouts, most by a Twin since 2007 and tied with Dean Chance¡¯s 1968 season for the most by any Twins pitcher not named Johan Santana or Bert Blyleven. He did that while walking only 48 batters.

It¡¯s that innings total and the full 32-start workload that excite L¨®pez most, given how he struggled with injuries for his first four seasons and how much pride he took in finally reaching 32 healthy starts last season for the Marlins.

¡°Really important to me to do it in my first year with the Twins,¡± L¨®pez said. ¡°That was one of my goals the moment I got traded and showed up to Spring Training. I made it more like a goal. I just wanted to really make sure I was the kind of guy who took the ball every five days, no matter the situation, no matter how the body felt at times.¡±

He did that while also taking meaningful strides forward in just about every way.

His ERA, innings and strikeout totals are better than his full-season totals from last year; his walks, FIP and WHIP are lower than last year as well. He arrived in the organization and developed a new sweeping slider, adding an east-west element to what had been a north-south arsenal in order to take his game to the next level.

It wasn¡¯t always perfect, but L¨®pez gave the Twins consistency and a workhorse level of innings, cementing his status atop the club¡¯s rotation going forward. The Twins were victorious in eight of his final 11 starts, as he posted a 2.76 ERA from the beginning of August to the end of the season.

And what better way to announce that than by winning a playoff game -- something no Twins pitcher has done since Santana?

¡°Every time you get the ball handed to you, you know as a player you have the opportunity to make something cool happen,¡± L¨®pez said. ¡°Pressure is a privilege. That means a lot of good things can be expected from you and it¡¯s all about embracing the opportunity, embracing the challenge and then at the same time, not trying to do too much.¡±

L¨®pez has not shied away from acknowledging that burden he will soon bear for a fanbase searching for absolution since 2004. He knows what he represents for this franchise, not just this season, but in the years to come.?

The Twins do, too.

¡°He's going to be a guy that's not just happy or pleased or content or satisfied with being very good or great,¡± Baldelli said. ¡°He's going to want to take it to different levels. I have a lot of respect for that. That's what great players in this game do.¡±