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Twins ace Pablo López has final tune-up of spring. Next up: Opening Day

Betsy Helfand, Pioneer Press
·3 min read

FORT MYERS, Fla. — It’s become a running bit over the years: when Twins manager Rocco Baldelli sits down to meet with the media for the first time each spring, he’s greeted with a question about who his Opening Day starter will be.

Both manager and question-asker know the query won’t yield an answer as Baldelli has always chosen to wait until late in camp to proclaim his Opening Day starter publicly.

Not this year.

This year, there wasn’t even a need to ask the question. Everyone involved knew who the honor would be bestowed upon — Pablo López.

After his last scheduled start of spring was rained out on Friday, López instead got his final tune-up by throwing four innings in a minor league game on Saturday afternoon. The next time he pitches in a game will be March 28 at Kauffman Stadium against the Kansas City Royals. It’s the second time he’s drawn the Opening Day assignment in as many years.

“It’s an incredible honor,” he said. “It being my second one, it feels just like my first one. I think I’m going to be just as excited, as anxious, as nervous but all in a good way, on a positive note to just be grateful (and) cherish every single moment of it because it is truly special.”

While last year there was a question as to who would get the ball on Opening Day — veteran Sonny Gray, who ended up as the Cy Young Award runner up, had a strong case, as well — the Twins opted for López, for whom they had recently traded AL batting champion Luis Arraez.

In the year that followed, López became an All-Star for the first time, threw nearly 200 innings, finished tied for third in the majors with 234 strikeouts, did not miss a start and pitched the Twins to their first playoff win since 2002. Along the way, the Twins rewarded him with the richest contract they’ve ever given to a pitcher, signing him to a four-year, $73.5 million extension to keep him in Minnesota through 2027.

The trust the Twins have placed in him is not lost on the 28-year-old.

“As starters, we are always trying to set the tone. You get to set the tone for the inning, to have the bullpen follow what you’ve been doing. So, I think Opening Day is just the same thing, just for the bigger picture,” López said. “You’re trying to set the tone for the season. You’re trying to let everyone see what the Minnesota Twins as a pitching staff is all about.”

What López is all about is showing up each day, making sure he’s better than the next.

He hasn’t detailed specific goals for the upcoming season, instead focusing his sights on finding ways to be better — be better as a teammate, as a pitcher, as a player and as a friend, he said.

“He’s our ace for a reason,” shortstop Carlos Correa said. “He’s got nasty stuff and he showed last year that he’s one of the best pitchers in baseball. He’s going to build upon that this year and cement himself as one of the best pitchers in the game.”

And that starts on Thursday.

“The body definitely feels ready, the mind definitely feels ready,” López said. “I’m excited to get out there.”

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