Aquilino López Roa (born April 21, 1975) is a former

professional baseball Professional baseball is organized baseball in which players are selected for their talents and are paid to play for a specific team or club system. It is played in baseball league, leagues and associated farm teams throughout the world. Mod ...

player who played in

Major League Baseball Major League Baseball (MLB) is a professional baseball organization and the oldest major professional sports league in the world. MLB is composed of 30 total teams, divided equally between the National League (NL) and the American League (AL), ...

and the

KBO League The KBO League (), officially the Shinhan Bank SOL KBO League, is the highest level league of baseball in South Korea. The KBO League was founded with six franchises in 1982 and is the most popular sports league in South Korea. The Kia Tigers ar ...

. He bats and throws right-handed.

Professional career

Lopez was first signed by the

Seattle Mariners The Seattle Mariners are an American professional baseball team based in Seattle. They compete in Major League Baseball (MLB) as a member club of the American League (AL) American League West, West division. The team joined the American League ...

on July 3, 1997, and made his Major League debut on April 2, 2003, after being selected by the

Toronto Blue Jays The Toronto Blue Jays are a Canadian professional baseball team based in Toronto. The Blue Jays compete in Major League Baseball (MLB) as a member club of the American League (AL) East division. Since 1989, the team has played its home games ...

on December 16, 2002, as a Rule 5 draftee. He made 72 appearances in 2003 for the Blue Jays, recording 14 saves and posting a 3.42 ERA over innings. In 2004, Lopez was still in Toronto where he pitched only 21 innings in 18 appearances. He was a member of the

Colorado Rockies The Colorado Rockies are an American professional baseball team based in Denver. The Rockies compete in Major League Baseball (MLB) as a member club of the National League (NL) West division. The team plays its home baseball games at Coors Fie ...

Los Angeles Dodgers The Los Angeles Dodgers are an American professional baseball team based in Los Angeles. The Dodgers compete in Major League Baseball (MLB) as a member club of the National League (NL) West division. Established in 1883 in the city of Brooklyn ...

Philadelphia Phillies The Philadelphia Phillies are an American professional baseball team based in Philadelphia. They compete in Major League Baseball (MLB) as a member of the National League (NL) National League East, East division. Since 2004, the team's home sta ...

and

San Diego Padres The San Diego Padres are an American professional baseball team based in San Diego. The Padres compete in Major League Baseball (MLB) as a member club of the National League (NL) West division. Founded in 1969, the club has won two NL penna ...

organizations from 2005 to 2006, mostly as a

Minor League Minor leagues are professional sports leagues which are not regarded as the premier leagues in those sports. Minor league teams tend to play in smaller, less elaborate venues, often competing in smaller cities/markets. This term is used in Nor ...

player. Lopez signed with the

Detroit Tigers The Detroit Tigers are an American professional baseball team based in Detroit. The Tigers compete in Major League Baseball (MLB) as a member of the American League (AL) Central division. One of the AL's eight charter franchises, the club was f ...

before the 2007 season. In 2008, after spending most of the season with the Tigers, Lopez was sent down to Toledo when

Fernando Rodney Fernando Rodney (born March 18, 1977) is a Dominican–American professional baseball pitcher for the Toros de Tijuana of the Mexican League. He has played in Major League Baseball (MLB) for the Detroit Tigers, Los Angeles Angels of Anaheim, Ta ...

was activated from the

disabled list In Major League Baseball (MLB), the injured list (IL) is a method for teams to remove their injured players from the roster in order to summon healthy players. Before the 2019 season, it was known as the disabled list (DL). General guidelines ...

. Lopez was called up to Detroit July 2 when

Zach Miner Zachary Charles Miner (born March 12, 1982) is an American former professional baseball pitcher. He played in Major League Baseball (MLB) for the Detroit Tigers and Philadelphia Phillies and in the Chinese Professional Baseball League (CPBL) for ...

was sent to Toledo. Although his ERA on the season was a comparatively low 3.55, he allowed 50.9% of inherited runners to score, the second-highest in the American League. Lopez became a free agent after the 2008 season when the Tigers declined to offer arbitration. Lopez was signed by the

Kia Tigers Kia Tigers ( ko, KIA 타이거즈) are a South Korean professional baseball team founded in 1982 and based in the southwestern city of Gwangju. Until 2001, they were known as the Haitai Tigers. The Tigers are a members of the KBO League and are ...

of the

Korea Baseball Organization The Korea Baseball Organization (KBO; ko, 한국야구위원회) is the governing body for the professional leagues of baseball in South Korea. The KBO was founded in 1981 and has governed two leagues: the KBO League ( ko, KBO 리그) and KBO ...

on January 14, . In the 2009 KBO season, he went 14–5 with a 3.12 ERA and 129 strikeouts, leading the league in wins and

innings pitched In baseball, innings pitched (IP) are the number of innings a pitcher has completed, measured by the number of batters and baserunners that are put out while the pitcher is on the pitching mound in a game. Three outs made is equal to one innin ...

(190.1). Lopez won

Game 1 A game is a structured form of play (activity), play, usually undertaken for enjoyment, entertainment or fun, and sometimes used as an educational tool. Many games are also considered to be work (such as professional players of spectator s ...

and Game 5 of the 2009 Korean Series and recorded two outs in the eighth inning of the seventh game, which Kia won on a walk-off home run in the ninth. The Game 5 win was a complete game shutout. On December 11, 2009, it was announced that Lopez was awarded the KBO Golden Glove Award for pitcher. His final season in Korea was 2012 when he started 5 games for the

SK Wyverns SSG Landers () are a South Korean professional baseball team. The team was originally established as the SK Wyverns but was renamed as the SSG Landers in 2021 after Shinsegae acquired the team from SK Group. They are a member of the KBO League. B ...

Achievements

*2009 Most Wins title ( KBO) *2009 Most Innings Pitched leader ( KBO) *2009 Golden Glove Award (Pitcher) ( KBO)

Pitching style

Lopez throws an 89–91 MPH

four-seam fastball A four-seam fastball, also called a rising fastball, a four-seamer, or a cross-seam fastball, is a pitch in baseball. It is a member of the fastball family of pitches and is usually the hardest (i.e., fastest) ball thrown by a pitcher. It is ca ...

, a 79–81 MPH

slider Slider or Sliders may refer to: Arts * K.K. Slider, a fictional character within the ''Animal Crossing'' franchise * '' The Slider'', a 1972 album by T. Rex * ''Sliders'' (TV series), an American science fiction and fantasy television series * ...

, an 83–85 MPH

changeup A changeup is a type of pitch in baseball and fastpitch softball. The changeup is a staple off-speed pitch often used in a pitcher's arsenal, usually thrown to look like a fastball but arriving much more slowly to the plate. Its reduced speed ...

, a 78–79 MPH

curveball In baseball and softball, the curveball is a type of pitch thrown with a characteristic grip and hand movement that imparts forward spin to the ball, causing it to dive as it approaches the plate. Varieties of curveball include the 12–6 curve ...

, and an occasional 84–86 MPH splitter.

References

External links

, o
KBO
{{DEFAULTSORT:Lopez, Aquilino 1975 births Living people Colorado Rockies players Colorado Springs Sky Sox players Detroit Tigers players Dominican Republic expatriate baseball players in Canada Dominican Republic expatriate baseball players in South Korea Dominican Republic expatriate baseball players in the United States Everett AquaSox players KBO League pitchers Kia Tigers players Las Vegas 51s players Major League Baseball pitchers Major League Baseball players from the Dominican Republic Philadelphia Phillies players Portland Beavers players San Antonio Missions players Scranton/Wilkes-Barre Red Barons players SSG Landers players Syracuse SkyChiefs players Tacoma Rainiers players Toledo Mud Hens players Toronto Blue Jays players Wisconsin Timber Rattlers players

Professional career

Achievements

Pitching style

See also

References

External links