Marlins pitcher writes tribute to his father, who lived a life ‘full of laughter and joy’
Miami Marlins pitcher Pablo Lopez has a broken heart right now and is taking some time to grieve.
Lopez has been away from the team for the past few days after his father, Danny Lopez, died after suffering a heart attack this past weekend.
Danny Lopez, a doctor who also played amateur baseball and instilled the loves of both his profession and his sport into his son, frequently attended his son’s games at Marlins Park.
Lopez posted a heartfelt tribute in Spanish to his father on his Instagram account Tuesday night, promising to “continue the legacy that you built in the wonderful and happy life that you lived, full of laughter and joy every day.”
“Calling you dad is an honor and it fills me with a lot of pride,” Lopez wrote in the caption below a picture of him hugging his dad at Marlins Park. “You really are the best dad that God and life could have given me to help me be who I am today. Now it is up to me to make sure that I make you proud.”
Lopez, who seems locked into a spot in the Marlins’ rotation, last pitched in a simulation game during practice on Friday. Marlins manager Don Mattingly called that outing “the best I’ve ever seen Pablo look as far as being that aggressive guy.”
Lopez’s message, in full and translated into English, is below:
“A hug like this is what I need the most right now, Dad. Knowing that I cannot give it to you destroys my soul. What I can promise you is that I will continue the legacy that you built in the wonderful and happy life that you lived, full of laughter and joy every day. Calling you dad is an honor and it fills me with a lot of pride. You really are the best dad that God and life could have given me to help me be who I am today. Now it is up to me to make sure that I make you proud. I will have you more present than ever and with your help, wisdom and support, I will work tirelessly to be a person with values and foundations that help me to be a full-fledged man as you were.
“Your physical departure leaves us very sad, but you leave us an innumerable amount of stories and anecdotes that will make it very easy to stay alive in our hearts and remind you of how you want to be remembered, happy and always ready to celebrate and have fun with those around us.
“I know that you are watching me, caring for me, protecting me and that you will give me the necessary strength to keep going. We will continue to have our daily conversations, whenever I look up and when I think of you.
“Give mom a kiss and a big hug. Each achievement will be dedicated to you. I love you very much and thank you for guiding me in life.”
This and that
▪ Marlins pitching coach Mel Stottlemyre Jr. said his training program for the pitching staff during the three-plus month layoff focused more on intensity than volume. Starting pitchers were told to simulate themselves pitching about three innings at a time during the break to keep a steady baseline while not overworking themselves.
All Marlins starting pitchers threw either four or five innings in their first simulation game appearance since resuming practice.
“There was so much unknown out there,” Stottlemyre said Tuesday on the Marlins’ in-house “Line Drive” show. “So we kept them into their five-day routine. Eventually, I was able to go to the ballpark and conduct our live batting practice and get my eyes on them, but we kept that intensity there so that we could keep those pitches dialed in ... so that when we returned, it was the hitters that were going to be a little behind. I felt like by doing that, our pitchers were going to be ahead of the game.”
▪ The Marlins held a light workout on Wednesday that was closed to the media. They will resume their simulation game-style workouts on Thursday.
This story was originally published July 15, 2020 at 10:59 AM.
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