Whether at home or on the road, watching Pablo López go to work is a sight to behold.
He has a way of pitching that makes anyone want to watch a ball game, and watching it on TV does him no justice.
Some fans forget that López was on the IL earlier this season due to a hamstring strain and has pitched in two fewer games than Joe Ryan and Bailey Ober.
So, why should fans want to attend a Pablo start?
Among starters with over five starts, López has the team’s best ERA, the most pitches per start, and is tied for the most wins. He’s second on the entire team in strikeouts, WAR, and WHIP, showing he has some of the best stuff on the pitching staff.
To put that into perspective, let’s look at his last start.
López went 6.0 innings against the Milwaukee Brewers, giving up two hits, zero runs, two walks, and six strikeouts.
He also threw a lot of first-pitch strikes. López threw a first-pitch strike to 18 of the 22 batters he faced. The best pitchers stay ahead in the count, forcing batters to react instead of forcing them back into the zone.
López is also tough.
It showed up early against the Brewers. Brice Turang was the first batter of the game, and he took a changeup and smashed a line drive right off Pablo’s leg. Although he recorded a single on the scorecard, López remained in the game and only gave up one more hit.
That was Minnesota’s 13th straight win, its second-longest win streak in franchise history. The shutout also made history. The Twins went 34 consecutive innings without giving up a run.
Pablo’s six scoreless innings allowed the streak to continue and the Twins to dig out of a 7-15 hole. However, the scoreless inning and winning streak ended in the next game.
Another reason to watch López start?
The offense seems to thrive behind the righty.
In López’s eight starts, Minnesota’s bats have produced five runs or more in all but three of them. However, they scored less than five in both his losses and a no-decision against the Kansas City Royals.
The Twins have offered more run support in general now than during last season’s downfall. But it seems as though they do it more for López. When we look at the eight games where the Twins won by more than four runs, Pablo was the pitcher for half of those games. Maybe that’s a coincidence. Perhaps Pablo’s facing a lesser opponent, and the offense is teeing off on them.
López also seems to have infectious positivity during his starts.
Watching Pablo go to work, you can tell he enjoys the game. Even when he’s in trouble, there’s a smile on his face, and his teammates see him as a leader.
With Pablo’s positivity and elite stuff, why aren’t the stands filled for his starts?
Minnesota’s attendance is down, but there has been an increase in attendance across baseball. Some of it is because the big-market teams have big names like Aaron Judge and Shohei Ohtani. Still, attendance is increasing even for some of the smaller-market teams.
Some are due to gimmicks, such as giveaways or tailgates, others are due to the young talent on the team, and fans wanting to be there to say, I was there when…
With the team’s looming sale and the former owners’ parsimonious reputation, they signed López to a $73 million extension, so why are they not pushing more for him to be the Twins’ gimmick?
Yes, he has Pablo Day, but could there be more to learn about him and what he means to this organization?
He’s one of the game’s best and most consistent pitchers, and every start seems to bring excitement and great team play.
That’s not to say the rest of the team falters when Pablo is not starting. It’s more of a testament to what he does on and off the mound to get and keep this team in the win column.
If there is a 2025 Twins fan Bingo Card, going to a Pablo López start should be the free space. It’s a unique in-person opportunity every fan should experience.
