Fastball

Minnesota Twins' Starter in Exclusive Group in Recent Baseball History

After a 14-strikeout performance on Sunday, Minnesota Twins' pitcher Pablo Lopez is in a very exclusive club in recent baseball history.

Brady Farkas

Minnesota Twins starting pitcher Pablo Lopez (49) delivers a pitch during the second inning against the Houston Astros at Minute Maid Park on May 31.
Minnesota Twins starting pitcher Pablo Lopez (49) delivers a pitch during the second inning against the Houston Astros at Minute Maid Park on May 31. / Troy Taormina-USA TODAY Sports
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The Minnesota Twins beat the Oakland Athletics 3-0 on Sunday afternoon behind a dominant performance from starting pitcher Pablo Lopez.

The righty, who started Game 1 of the playoffs for the Twins in 2023, went 8.0 innngs and allowed just two hits and one walk. He struck out 14 in moving to 7-6 on the year. It's been a rocky year for Lopez, who has dealt with inconsistency (5.10 ERA), but his talent when he is on is undeniable.

After the effort, Lopez is now in a rare club in recent baseball history, signifying how good his stuff is. Per Sarah Langs of MLB.com:

Pablo López and Tyler Glasnow are the only pitchers with multiple games with 14+ strikeouts since the start of last season

Lopez has now struck out 101 batters in 88.0 innings this year. The 28-year-old is one of the best strikeout artists in the game, ranking 12th in baseball in the category.

Lopez has now spent seven years in the big leagues with the Miami Marlins and Twins. He was traded to Minnesota before the 2023 season. Lifetime, he's 46-45 with a 4.00 ERA. He is under contract with the Twins through the 2027 season and is working to get the Twins back to the playoffs this year.

They are now 43-35 on the season and have taken over second place in the American League Central. Furthermore, they own the second wild card spot at this point in the wild card race.

The Twins are off on Monday but will take on the Arizona Diamondbacks beginning on Tuesday.

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Brady Farkas

BRADY FARKAS

Brady Farkas is a baseball writer for Fastball on Sports Illustrated/FanNation and the host of 'The Payoff Pitch' podcast which can be found on Apple Podcasts and Spotify. Videos on baseball also posted to YouTube. Brady has spent nearly a decade in sports talk radio and is a graduate of Oswego State University. You can follow him on Twitter @WDEVRadioBrady. 

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