Neal: López dons Santana jersey, then does Santana things in Game 1 win
Johan Santana was the last Twins pitcher to win a postseason game, way back in 2004 when he threw seven shutout innings against the Yankees in Game 1 of the American League Division Series. Then came 18 consecutive playoff losses, a dubious distinction for a team that also has won two World Series titles.
Some Twins, in recent years, waved off the impact of the skid because they were only around for parts of it. Meanwhile, the specter of a never-ending playoff losing streak loomed over Twins Territory.
Nothing lasts forever, a wise man recently said. And that wise man, Pablo López, embraces history.
López entered Target Field on Tuesday wearing Santana's jersey — the No. 57 that once belonged to a fellow Venezuelan he idolizes and aspires to be. Once his own No. 49 was on, López was sharp, holding Toronto to one run over 5⅔ innings as the Twins took Game 1 of the wild-card series with a 3-1 win.
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López stated that the Twins should "lean into this opportunity" and invite the pressure that comes with such a challenge. If there was pressure Tuesday, López responded with poise. Royce Lewis provided power, driving in all three runs with his two home runs, and an announced sellout crowd of 38,450 offered plenty of support as the Twins now can win a postseason series for the first time since 2002.
"Some people believe in fate, some people believe that the things we do today drive what we do tomorrow," López said. "But sometimes things line up too perfectly to pass up on those opportunities.
"I was just happy that I was able to, for the most part, secure my plan, do my part and do the best I could to put the team in the best position to win."
López, making his second-ever postseason start, gave up five hits and two walks with three strikeouts. That is the longest outing a starter has made in any of manager Rocco Baldelli's six postseason games. Lopez's outing was the longest by a Twins starter in the postseason since Francisco Liriano went 5⅔ innings in Game 1 of the 2010 ALDS against the Yankees.
Known for having one of the best changeups in the game, López kept that pitch in his back pocket in the first inning, throwing 19 other pitches until he led off Cavan Biggio with a changeup to start the second. Then he only threw five changeups that inning.
That's because the sweeper was working.
"He was throwing a few more breaking balls to our lefties than we kind of anticipated the first time through [the batting order]," Blue Jays manager John Schneider said. "The second time through, even."
Well, John, your hitters told López to throw more sweepers. They told him with their swings. They told him with their takes. López noticed during warmups that the pitch was sharp. So López and catcher Ryan Jeffers made that adjustment early in the game.
"They [the hitters] will tell you way more than a piece of paper does," Lopez said. "We go into the game with all kinds of information on how they perform on certain pitches. But the eyes don't lie. If you pay attention, you can find the room to go the extra inches, maybe repeat the pitch one more time."
Louie Varland, Caleb Thielbar, Griffin Jax and Jhoan Duran combined for 3⅓ scoreless innings to finish off the win. One streak was vanquished, and López now has another connection with his hero Santana.
The fans got what they wanted, as some were about to reach adulthood without experiencing a Twins playoff win.
López embraced history. And now a different narrative can be written.
"It just felt right giving this to [fans]," López said. "The way I see it now, we have a new streak going. We're 1-0, and that's the one we want to focus on now."
