Pablo López, the guy who bought the "Land of 10,000 Rakes" vest for teammates to wear after home runs, said a few months ago he wanted to wear it if he threw a complete game.
As he prepared for an on-field interview Wednesday, following his first career complete game, he smiled when Byron Buxton approached him with the vest. When he saw teammates running to him with water coolers, he extended his arms and laughed.
It was the night of López's dreams. He struck out a career-high 12 batters in a four-hit shutout to finish a three-game sweep over the Royals with a 5-0 win at Target Field. The Twins went five years between complete game starts before Joe Ryan ended the drought on June 22.
Twelve games later, it was López's turn.
"It's the most fun I've ever had," said the 27-year-old pitcher, who received a hug from Ryan after his on-field ice bath.
López threw a first-pitch strike to 25 of his 30 batters. With the way his pitches were dancing, hitters stood no chance. He struck out six batters with his fastball, three with his curveball, two on his changeup and one via his slider.
By the end of the sixth inning, he was at 74 pitches and had struck out six consecutive batters. He never threw more than 15 pitches in an inning, completing the shutout in 100 pitches.
"For a full season, 32-plus starts a year, there are only a handful of games where you feel you have a handle on all of your pitches," López said. "Tonight was one of those nights."