Pablo López and How Pressure Molded an Indomitable Spirit

[Cody Schoenmann]

Few who have played for the Twins have possessed a presence like Pablo López, and him being the starting pitcher on the day the 18-game playoff losing streak ended is a form of poetic justice Twins Territory hadn't seen in quite some time.

Image courtesy of Jesse Johnson - USA TODAY Sports

In his short story titled "The Swan," author Roald Dahl wrote, "Some people, when they have taken too much and have been driven beyond the point of endurance, simply crumble and collapse and give up. Others however, though they are not many, who will for some reason always be unconquerable. You meet them in time of war and also in time of peace. They have an indomitable spirit. And nothing, neither pain, nor torture, nor threat of death will cause them to give up."

Pablo López is one of those people.

Through expressing a sense of wisdom, mental fortitude, and gratitude that few professional athletes, let alone people, possess, López has quickly become a beacon of light for the Minnesota Twins not only on the field but as a franchise itself. 

With professional sports being a market saturated full of false prophets, knowing which athletes to feel morally sound about trusting and supporting while watching and consuming sports content is becoming more complex nowadays.

Luckily, Twins' fans can feel confident in López being an honorable person off the field and a force to be reckoned with on the diamond. López is a thoughtful, intelligent, and inspirational ace-level starting pitcher, which is an archetype the Twins have long yearned for. 

To show how López is a beacon of light that fell into the Twins' lap, let's look at his early life growing up in Venezuela. 

López's parents, Danny and Agnedis, were both doctors in Venezuela. After graduating high school at 16, López was accepted into medical school but opted to pursue a career in professional baseball after receiving an international contract offer from the Seattle Mariners.

López rationale behind pursuing a professional baseball career over going to medical school was that as human beings get older, we dwindle physically. Yet, our minds get sharper and wiser.

After weighing his options, López pursued a professional baseball career while his body was young, strong, and spry. López will likely eventually contemplate attending medical school once his playing career ends. After signing a four-year $73.5 million contract with the Twins at the beginning of the 2023 season, López could undoubtedly afford the cost of tuition out of pocket. 

The last face of the franchise-level Venezuelan-born Twins starting pitcher happens to be the greatest starting pitcher in Minnesota Twins history, Johan Santana. 

When López was traded to the Twins this past offseason, one of the first things he mentioned during his introductory press conference was how much he idolized Santana growing up.

López, like Santana, was born and raised in Venezuela. López was born in Cabimas, which is roughly 383 miles away from Santana's hometown of Tovar. 

López idolizing Santana would essentially be the distance equivalent of a child from Warroad, Minnesota idolizing Twins pitcher Louie Varland, who is from Saint Paul. No matter the distance, the connection one can feel to a professional athlete from the same state, or in López's case, country, can be magnetically strong. 

After López sang his praises for Santana during his introductory press conference as a Twin, he decided to make a bold statement by ceremoniously wearing his jersey to Game 1 of the Wild Card Round nearly ten months later.

A week before the beginning of the postseason, López 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."

López, like any human, felt immense pressure before his Game 1 start, but one could be convinced otherwise seeing López dawning Santana's jersey.

López followed up wearing Santana's jersey pre-game by pitching 5 2/3 innings, giving up only one earned run, and leading the Twins to their first playoff win since Santana started Game 1 of the 2004 ALDS against the New York Yankees. 

Later that day, Santana congratulated López while telling him that his jersey looked great on him. 

Being the starting pitcher in the Twins' first playoff game win since 2004 and then being congratulated and complimented by his childhood idol undoubtedly was the perfect ending to what was likely one of the best days of López's life.

Now, we as fans are mere witnesses to López, his professional baseball career, and his relationship with Santana. We will likely never directly interact with López unless we get lucky enough to meet him at, say, Twins Fest or before a game while he is signing autographs. 

Though this is the case, it is an honor to be but a spectator and witness a player and person the likes of López pitch and represent our favorite team.

Pablo Lopez being the starting pitcher who took the mound on the Twins' first playoff win in nearly 19 years is the divine summation of what was an incredible debut season with his new ball club, and his relationship with Santana adds another layer that further cements himself in the good graces of Twins faithful. 

Twins fans have long wished for a front-end starting pitcher who could face the pressure of formidable moments head-on, achieve success, and not crumble under the weight as many have in past postseasons.  

López, the indomitable spirit he is, answered that wish and will forever be a Twins icon for it.

What do you think of López's Game 1 performance? Do you think his connection to Santana makes it more special? Comment below. 

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[Karbo]

Nice article! Great trade made by the FO. May have lengthened their leash. I do miss Arraez though. The pressure gets turned up a bit in Game 2, and the hitters are facing a really good lefty. They really need Lopez to step up and shut them down!

[Blyleven2011]

Good story ...

Lopez the artist has painted his pitches  almost all season ( a span of few starts he lost his MOJO in May  )  ...

I hated losing arraez  but the trade has worked out , our starters have been  solid this season and Lopez the artist and Gray the bulldog and the others are what brought us to the playoffs  ...

[Doctor Gast]

Most definitely very special

[Cody Schoenmann]

1 hour ago, Blyleven2011 said:

Good story ...

Lopez the artist has painted his pitches  almost all season ( a span of few starts he lost his MOJO in May  )  ...

I hated losing arraez  but the trade has worked out , our starters have been  solid this season and Lopez the artist and Gray the bulldog and the others are what brought us to the playoffs  ...

I love describing López as an artist. I think that is the perfect way to describe how he pitches.

[MGX]

After seeing interviews with Lopez after the trade I became a fan for the reasons you describe. Enjoyed the write up! 

[ashbury]

Infamy?

[Cody Schoenmann]

37 minutes ago, ashbury said:

Infamy?

good call! I used the wrong word, that's my bad lol. I changed it. 

[Rod Carews Birthday]

I remember watching his first start this season.  He didn’t really have his best stuff but was able to get people out and just able to go about his business pitching in the game while giving the Twins an opportunity to win.  The Twins haven’t had many pitchers like that in the recent past, and to me, that’s what gives him that ace potential.  He’s definitely a top 20 pitcher in the league.  Now he just needs to climb the ladder.  

As to the Santana connection, that’s certainly cool and I’m sure it means a lot to him.  I want him to do so well that we remember Johann Santana as the guy from Venezuela that we had BEFORE Pablo Lopez.

[Rod Carews Birthday]

8 hours ago, Rod Carews Birthday said:

I remember watching his first start this season.  He didn’t really have his best stuff but was able to get people out and just able to go about his business pitching in the game while giving the Twins an opportunity to win.  The Twins haven’t had many pitchers like that in the recent past, and to me, that’s what gives him that ace potential.  He’s definitely a top 20 pitcher in the league.  Now he just needs to climb the ladder.  

As to the Santana connection, that’s certainly cool and I’m sure it means a lot to him.  I want him to do so well that we remember Johann Santana as the guy from Venezuela that we had BEFORE Pablo Lopez.

Ok.  After that game maybe the ladder has been climbed!  He was an absolute powerhouse tonight!  

[Jocko87]

I have a feeling “pressure is a privilege” might find its way on a clubhouse wall somewhere eventually.

[DuluthRoots]

Great article regarding his backstory. Bold prediction: He's not ever going to medical school. 😄

[Doctor Wu]

5 hours ago, Jocko87 said:

I have a feeling “pressure is a privilege” might find its way on a clubhouse wall somewhere eventually.

Agreed, I love that phrase!

[IndianaTwin]

12 hours ago, Jocko87 said:

I have a feeling “pressure is a privilege” might find its way on a clubhouse wall somewhere eventually.

Attributed to Billie Jean King and the title of her autobiography.

Also available on t-shirts, hoodies, motivational signs and pop sockets for your phone.