‘The highlight of my season’: Marlins’ Pablo López, wearing No. 21, starts on Clemente Day

At a youth baseball clinic in Venezuela, 10-year-old Pablo López had an epiphany.

“If I ever get to be that old guy,” he said, “I want to be able to do these kinds of things.”

Those “old guys” were Venezuelan-winter-league baseball players, although the starting pitcher, now 26, no longer considers them quite so ancient. The “things” they did were using baseball as a way to give back to their local community.

López has since delivered on his childhood aspirations of becoming a professional baseball player and serving others. As a result, the Miami Marlins selected him as the team’s 2022 nominee for the Roberto Clemente Award, considered MLB’s most prestigious individual award. It’s meant to recognize the athlete who “best represents the game through extraordinary character, community involvement, philanthropy and positive contributions, both on and off the field.” López started for Miami in its 5-3 win over the Phillies on Thursday, Roberto Clemente Day.

He finished the game with four hits, two runs (one of which was a home run from Philadelphia’s Kyle Schwarber in the sixth inning) and five strikeouts in 6 2/3 innings. Of the 95 pitches he threw, 63 were strikes. Marlins manager Don Mattingly said it was one of the right-handed pitcher’s best outings all year.

“Just wearing 21 on a day like today after being nominated, you know, it’s a lot of emotions,” López said. “The good kind of emotions. Just really happy, really proud because, you know, we’re honoring such an amazing person, [a] person that did so much for us. ... If it wasn’t for him, maybe I would have had less opportunities and I think of things like that, so I’m extremely grateful for the opportunity to wear No. 21 tonight.”

In a year when López has set career highs in starts (29), innings pitched (160 1/3) and strikeouts (156), he called the nomination “the highlight of my season.”

López visited students at Renaissance Charter School in Doral in April, dubbed Stress Awareness Month, to share his coping mechanisms and tips to help the children overcome test anxiety. He’s also volunteered to go to the ballpark with special guests through auctions and those benefiting from the Make-A-Wish foundation. Additionally, López has helped the team recognize folks who’ve done significant work for the communities of South Florida during Marlins Impact Moments.

“We get to be baseball players when we’re on the field, but when we’re off the field, we get to be like people,” he said. “We get to just be around people, as, you know, sometimes I find myself in your shoes, in your situations. And if I had something from my own experiences that I can help you with, then I’m going to try it out.”

The Clemente Award is named after the National Baseball Hall of Famer, who died in a plane crash while en route to deliver supplies to earthquake victims in Nicaragua on New Year’s Eve of 1972. While Willie Mays won the first the award in 1971, Clemente Day was first observed in 2002. The Marlins, now in their 30th season, have never had a nominee win the Clemente Award.

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On Thursday, all players across MLB donned a No. 21 gold-and-black patch on their sleeves to honor Clemente, who was a 15-time All-Star for the Pittsburgh Pirates before his death at 38. Clemente Award winners and nominees, including López, wore the number on the backs of their jerseys.

Players of Puerto Rican descent could also wear No. 21, and players of any nationality could have requested it as long as the club had enough time to get the uniform made. López was the only Marlin who wore the number Thursday.

Mattingly praised López’s impact on their clubhouse culture.

“Obviously, you want guys to get out there and be able to feel comfortable in the community and [do] what they can,” Mattingly said. “But he’s a good representative from the leadership standpoint. He’s not a loud type guy. He’s a leading-by-example person. He does his work. He’s got his routines. He’s always working, always trying to get better. So he’s a great example for our guys.”