Twins starter Pablo Lopez in unique position to offer medical advice

Perhaps most well-known for his skills as a Major League starting pitcher with the Minnesota Twins, Pablo Lopez nearly balked on a baseball career to become a real-life Doogie Howser, M.D. 

Accepted into medical school as a teenager, Lopez ended up pursuing his baseball passions instead. In a recent interview with Matt Monagan of MLB.com, he revealed that his Twins teammates help keep his mind medical sharp should the hurler decide to fall back on his second option later in life. 

Last month, for instance, infielder Kyle Farmer was hit in the face with a pitch, requiring 35 stitches and several root canals. With Farmer's status uncertain, the clubhouse turned to Lopez. 

"When Farmer unfortunately got hit in the face, it came out as being a laceration," Lopez said. "Some of the guys were asking me what a laceration is. I had to tell them it was not a fracture."

Baseball players do not get paid for their medical expertise, thankfully. Knowing Lopez's past, though, his teammates can't help but pick his brain. While questions such as these are unlikely to help Lopez prep for a career in medicine, the 27-year-old told Monagan that he still studies and has not closed the door on potentially jumping into the sports nutrition field once he hangs up his cleats. 

Son to a general practitioner and a medical pathologist in Venezuela, by the time Lopez had turned 16, he had already learned four languages, graduated high school and was accepted to the same medical school from which his parents graduated. Faced with a tough decision at a young age, Lopez said his late father told him it was "100 percent" up to him which path he took, rationalizing that he may not get a second chance at a baseball career if he were to attend medical school. 

Now, 11 years later, Lopez is in his sixth big-league season and his first as a member of the Twins. 

Traded from the Miami Marlins to the Twins in January as part of a package for 2022 American League batting champion Luis Arraez, Lopez subsequently agreed to a four-year, $73.5 million contract extension that will keep him in Minnesota through the 2027 season. 

In seven starts for the Twins this season, Lopez has gone 2-2 with a 3.77 ERA.