9 October 2023
HOUSTON — The Twins needed to leave Houston with a split, needed to salvage Game 2 after dropping the first game in the series. And Pablo López, with some help from Carlos Correa and Kyle Farmer, saw to it that the Twins would do just that.
The last time López took the ball, he showed up to the ballpark wearing the jersey of his childhood hero, Johan Santana, and then emulated the man, pitching the Twins to their first playoff victory since Santana did so in 2004 in Game 1 of the Division Series.
This time around, he was even more impressive.
The Astros had a chance to push the Twins to the brink on Sunday. Instead, the man whom the Twins acquired this offseason to be their ace, bested the defending World Series champions, by throwing seven scoreless innings in the Twins’ 6-2 win over the Astros at Minute Maid Park in Game 2 of the American League Division Series.
In doing so, he became just the third pitcher in Twins postseason history to throw seven scoreless innings, joining Santana in 2004 and Jack Morris in the 1991 World Series Game 7.
López faced very little trouble, the most significant of which came in the fourth inning when the Astros had their only real threat of the game against him. With runners on the corners and a pair of outs, pitching coach Pete Maki came to the mound for a visit.
The starter responded by retiring center fielder Chas McCormick on three pitches, getting him to swing at a 95.7 mph fastball just above the zone for strike three.
López, whose four-seam fastball averaged 95.9 mph on Sunday, up from his 94.9 yearly average, finished the day with seven strikeouts and one walk.
In two postseason games thus far, the Twins’ ace has thrown 12 2/3 innings, giving up just one run (0.71 earned-run average).
The effort was everything the Twins could have asked from him and reset the series, which is now guaranteed to go at least four games, the next two of which will be held at Target Field on Tuesday and Wednesday. If it goes all five, López would be in line to pitch the final, deciding game of the series.
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