Twins' Pablo López pitches scoreless All-Star Game inning on anniversary of father's death

SEATTLE – As Pablo López walked the red carpet, put on his American League All-Star uniform and warmed up on the field at T-Mobile Park on Tuesday, his late father was on his mind.

Tuesday marked the three-year anniversary since his dad, Danny, died from a heart attack.

"It has to be more than a coincidence, right?" said López, who joined Sonny Gray as the Twins' All-Star representatives. Gray pitched a scoreless third inning and struck out two of the four batters he faced. López struck out two in the ninth inning in the American League's 3-2 loss.

Danny López, a doctor, introduced Pablo to the sport in Venezuela. He had an amateur baseball career and wore stirrups, something his son replicated because of him and continued to do after he reached the major leagues.

When Pablo pitched on the one-year anniversary of his dad's passing, in 2021, he set a major league record by striking out the first nine batters he faced. Two years later, on the same day, he sat in the bullpen and soaked in his first All-Star Game.

"It's just the way the universe operates sometimes," López said. "That was just a tough day to remember. Time doesn't heal it. You just learn to cope with it and live with it. Today is a day that means a lot.

"I know he's smiling somewhere."

López, who was the last AL pitcher available, felt "extremely nervous" when he ran from the bullpen. A late addition to the All-Star team, López knew there was a chance he wouldn't pitch, but everything lined up for him.

It was a father-son chat that paved the path for López's professional baseball career. López grew up in an academic-driven family. His mother, Agnedis, who died when he was 11, was a pathologist. "I grew up surrounded by tons of medicine books, anatomy books," he said.

López was an excellent student. He started the first grade at 5 years old and graduated high school at 16.

Many foreign-born players enter professional baseball before graduating, but López had the option of signing with the Mariners or entering medical school, accepted to the same one his parents attended.

López agonized over the decision. Becoming a doctor was a dream, too. Family members were split on what they thought he should do. His dad simplified it into if he chose baseball and didn't like it, he could return to school. If he chose medical school and didn't like it, baseball may not be an option.

Eleven years later, López was pitching in the All-Star Game.

"If it wasn't for my dad," López said, "I really am not sure what I would have done because that was a big decision for a 16-year-old.

"He was so smart. I would call him with any issue, anything that I had going on, and he knew the answer to it. He knew the solution whether it was a car problem, something going on in the house, a light switch wasn't working. He knew so much about everything."

Perhaps, unsurprisingly, several All-Star hitters said it was López's smarts that stood out. He was initially nicknamed "Wikipedia" when he broke into the majors, which he is grateful didn't stick long.

"He deserves to be an All-Star," said Royals catcher Salvador Pérez, who caught López during the World Baseball Classic. "He's one of the best. I liked catching him better than facing him."

Since López was a young kid, he watched the All-Star Game every year. His favorite was 2014, when he was in the Mariners' farm system, and fellow Venezuelan Félix Hernández was the starting pitcher for the American League.

As López pitched in the same ballpark Hernández once called home, it was a chance to reflect on his decision to choose baseball over medical school. He still plans to attend college someday, he said, a promise he made to family members.

"I knew making the decision to play baseball meant I left something behind that was also extremely important and meaningful," López said. "I think that just gave me extra motivation. I know the type of opportunity I passed on choosing to play baseball. Now I have to maximize every single second, every single day I get to play baseball to try to get to where I want to get."