Jorge López (baseball)

López was drafted by the Milwaukee Brewers in the second round of the 2011 Major League Baseball draft out of the Caguas Military Academy in Caguas, Puerto Rico.[1] He signed with the Brewers and made his professional debut with the Arizona League Brewers. He spent 2012 with the Dominican Summer League Brewers and Gulf Coast Brewers and 2013 with the Wisconsin Timber Rattlers. In 2014, López pitched for the Brevard County Manatees. In July he was selected to appear in the All-Star Futures Game.[2][3] In 2015, he played for the Biloxi Shuckers of the Class AA Southern League.[4] He had a 12–5 win–loss record, a 2.26 earned run average (ERA), and 137 strikeouts in ​143 ¹⁄₃ innings pitched for Biloxi. López was named the Brewers' minor league pitcher of the year and Southern League's most outstanding pitcher.[5]

After Biloxi's 2015 season ended, the Brewers promoted López to the major leagues.[4] He made his major league debut on September 29, 2015.[6] In 2016, López began the season with the Colorado Springs Sky Sox of the Class AAA Pacific Coast League, but struggled, pitching to a 6.81 ERA in 17 games started. He was demoted to Biloxi.[7] López pitched for the Puerto Rican national baseball team in the 2017 World Baseball Classic. In the 2017 season, López returned to Biloxi. He pitched to a 4.61 ERA as a starting pitcher, and then became a relief pitcher, and had a 3.62 ERA in that role. He made one appearance for the Brewers in 2017, pitching two innings and allowing one run on four hits on June 29.[8]

During the 2017–18 offseason, López pitched for the Águilas Cibaeñas of the Dominican Professional Baseball League.[8] López began the 2018 season with Colorado Springs. The Brewers again promoted him to the major leagues on April 11.[9] He made one appearance, on April 16, before being returned to Colorado Springs on April 17.[10]

On July 27, 2018, López, along with teammate Brett Phillips, was traded to the Kansas City Royals for Mike Moustakas.[11] On September 8, in his seventh major league start, López flirted with a perfect game as he retired 24 consecutive Minnesota Twins batters in order over eight innings.[12] In the ninth inning, López surrendered a leadoff walk to Max Kepler and a hit to Robbie Grossman before walking off the mound at Target Field to a standing ovation. He became the first pitcher in Royals history to bring a perfect game into the ninth inning, besting Bret Saberhagen's seven-inning attempt vs. the Seattle Mariners.