MINNEAPOLIS — The Twins went five years between complete-game starts until Joe Ryan broke the streak with a shutout on June 22.
It took Pablo López only 12 games to match his teammate.
López, who the Twins signed to a contract extension in April with the hope he becomes the ace of their staff, struck out a career-high 12 batters in a 5-0 win to complete a three-game sweep of the Royals at Target Field. The Twins have a 9-1 record against them this season, and a 9-11 record against the rest of their divisional rivals.
It was the most strikeouts by a Twins pitcher since Sonny Gray punched out 13 batters on April 7.
López threw a first-pitch strike to 25 of his 30 batters in his first career complete game. 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 change-up and one via his slider.
By the end of the sixth inning, he was at 74 pitches and had struck out six consecutive batters.
When he was one pitch away from ending the seventh inning, he took a moment to compose himself after throwing three straight pitches out of the strike zone, just his second three-ball count of the night. After a quick break for a batter's timeout, López looked in at catcher Ryan Jeffers, nodded and struck out Nick Pratto on a change-up. López walked off the mound to a standing ovation from the crowd of 19,692.
López surrendered a two-out, two-strike double to Kyle Isbel in the eighth inning. Isbel was the first baserunner to reach base against López since the third inning, a streak of 15 batters, and López's reaction was a shrug toward the dugout.
So, he was human after all.
López didn't need his defense much Wednesday, but Max Kepler saved a run when Matt Duffy followed Isbel with a line drive into right field. Kepler made a diving catch and López raised his arms in celebration.
The 27-year-old from Cabimas, Venezuela, left hitters with essentially two choices all evening. Fall behind in counts if they watched a pitch or take an early swing that will lead to soft contact. López permitted only four hits and they were all with two outs.
He finished his complete game in an efficient 100 pitches. He never threw more than 15 pitches in a single inning, drawing a standing ovation when he returned to the mound for the ninth inning and again when MJ Melendez lined out to center for the final out.
López tipped his cap to the crowd, then smiled with his arms in the air when teammates dumped water over his head. Ryan offered him a hug after they became the first set of Twins pitchers since 2011 to throw a complete game in the same season.
The Twins didn't hold a players-only team meeting last week to address their starting pitching, but their starters have transferred from excellent to spectacular. In the last six games, Twins starters have posted an 0.88 ERA with 51 strikeouts in 41 innings.
After the Twins put two runners on base with no outs in the third inning, Alex Kirilloff set off a wild sequence when he dropped a two-out, opposite-field single into left field. Jeffers, the runner at second base, sprinted home on an aggressive send from third-base coach Tommy Watkins. The throw from left fielder MJ Melendez hit Jeffers in the neck as he slid into the plate.
As Jeffers lay in the dirt, the ball deflected toward the Twins' dugout. Carlos Correa, who was on first base when Kirilloff singled, dashed to the plate before sliding safely next to his shaken-up teammate. Jeffers was briefly checked by a trainer, remaining in the game and hitting a solo homer in the seventh inning.
