Aurelio López

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1+1⁄3 scoreless innings in Game Two, but he was the losing pitcher in Game Six when the New York Mets won the series. López pitched the fourteenth through sixteenth innings and surrendered the go ahead run twice. [21] During spring training before the 1987 season, López was arrested in Florida on charges of driving while intoxicated and driving with a suspended license. [22] He earned his final major league save on May 12, 1987. [23] He finished his MLB career with a 62–36 win–loss record, 93 saves and a 3.56 earned run average. [24] López's career save total was the highest among Mexican pitchers in MLB until Joakim Soria surpassed the mark in 2010. [25]

Later life and death

After retiring from baseball, López moved back to Tecamachalco. He was elected municipal president of the city in 1990, a position that he held until his death. [26] The post is equivalent to that of mayor. [27] Early in his political service, he oversaw the installation of new water and drainage systems. Facing great opposition from the previous ruling family and even enduring shots fired at his home, he described his post as "like coming into a game with the bases loaded." [28] As late as 1991, López mentioned the possibility of returning to baseball in a coaching role. [28]

López was killed in an auto accident the day after his 44th birthday in Matehuala, San Luis Potosí. He was driving a car that overturned, and he was thrown from the vehicle. [26] His wife Celia and another passenger were injured in the crash. [27] López was buried in Tecamachalco Cemetery.

Legacy

López was inducted into the Mexican Professional Baseball Hall of Fame in 1993. [3] He has been described as the pitcher with the highest velocity in Mexican baseball history. [29] López had a reputation as a friendly player who got along well with other members of the team. Former Astros teammate Terry Puhl described López as "always upbeat," [26] while fellow Astro Craig Reynolds noted that López was "everybody's friend." [26]

Detroit rock band Electric Six named their album Señor Smoke (2005) in López's honor. [30] In September 2012, a youth sports complex in Tecamachalco was named in honor of López. [31]

In 2020, López was selected as the relief pitcher on the Mexican League Historic Ideal Team by a committee of baseball journalists and historians. [32]

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References

  1. ↑ "Biografía: Aurelio López Rios" (in Spanish). Tecamachalco.net. Archived from the original on December 14, 2013. Retrieved July 14, 2013.
  2. ↑ Estrada, Juan Pablo (October 21, 2006). "Hazaña de un Inmortal del Pitcheo" (in Spanish). El Universal . Retrieved July 14, 2013.
  3. 1 2 3 4 "Biografías: Aurelio López" (in Spanish). Mexican Baseball Hall of Fame. Archived from the original on May 2, 2005. Retrieved July 14, 2013.
  4. ↑ "Royals Pick Up Reliever". St. Joseph Gazette. August 30, 1974. Retrieved July 14, 2013.
  5. ↑ "Aurelio Lopez". Baseball-Reference.com . Retrieved July 14, 2013.
  6. ↑ "Records de Pitcheo Individual" (in Spanish). Mexican Pacific League. Archived from the original on July 30, 2013. Retrieved July 28, 2013.
  7. ↑ McMane, Fred (December 5, 1978). "Ford No Longer in Twins' Future". Beaver County Times. Retrieved July 22, 2013.
  8. ↑ Bernstein, Ralph (December 5, 1978). "Phillies Silent Over Rose Plucking". The Free Lance–Star . Retrieved July 14, 2013.
  9. 1 2 "Tigers Cut Aurelio Lopez". Pittsburgh Post-Gazette . July 5, 1982. Retrieved July 22, 2013.
  10. ↑ "Lopez Quits Tigers, Goes Home to Mexico". Ludlington Daily News. September 21, 1982. Retrieved July 22, 2013.
  11. ↑ "American League Preview". Leader-Post . March 29, 1983. Retrieved July 14, 2013.
  12. ↑ "Sports People: Arbitration Loss". The New York Times . February 13, 1983. Retrieved July 22, 2013.
  13. ↑ "Aurelio Lopez Stats". ESPN.com . Retrieved July 27, 2013.
  14. ↑ "Farewell to a Legend... Daly Gets a Grip... Frustrated Magic Quits Bush's AIDS Panel". Sports Illustrated . October 5, 1992. Archived from the original on July 17, 2013. Retrieved July 14, 2013.
  15. ↑ "Lopez Takes Over New Role". The Courier. October 4, 1984. Retrieved July 22, 2013.
  16. ↑ "Aurelio Lopez". Baseball Biography. Retrieved May 19, 2009.
  17. ↑ Atkins, Harry (May 30, 1985). "Lopez Leaning Toward Staying". Ludlington Daily News. Retrieved July 22, 2013.
  18. ↑ "Lopez Agrees with Lajoie". Windsor Star . May 31, 1985. Retrieved July 22, 2013.
  19. ↑ "Catcher Awarded $300,000". Montreal Gazette . February 11, 1986. Retrieved July 22, 2013.
  20. ↑ "Aurelio Lopez Keeps Astros Riding High". The Nevada Daily Mail . August 25, 1986. Retrieved July 14, 2013.
  21. ↑ "Revisit the '86 NLCS". ESPN.com . Retrieved July 14, 2013.
  22. ↑ "Spring Training Roundup". Junction City Daily Union. March 10, 1987. Retrieved July 22, 2013.
  23. ↑ Castro, Rubén (September 16, 2008). "Un Mariano en Potencia" (in Spanish). ESPNDeportes.com . Retrieved July 22, 2013.
  24. ↑ "Aurelio Lopez; Baseball Player, 44". The New York Times . September 24, 1992. Retrieved July 14, 2013.
  25. ↑ Kaegel, Dick. "Soria Slams Door on Twins". MLB.com . Retrieved July 27, 2013.
  26. 1 2 3 4 Hohlfeld, Neil (September 24, 1992). "Former Astro Lopez Dies in auto accident". Houston Chronicle. Retrieved May 19, 2009.
  27. 1 2 "'Senor Smoke' Lopez Dies In Crash". Chicago Tribune . September 24, 1992. Retrieved July 14, 2013.
  28. 1 2 Demak, Richard, ed. (July 1, 1991). "Scorecard". Sports Illustrated . Archived from the original on July 17, 2013. Retrieved July 14, 2013.
  29. ↑ Rodriguez Andrade, Javier. "Hoy se Festeja el Natalicio del "Buitre de Tecamachalco". Aurelio López Ríos" (in Spanish). Tecamachalco, Mexico: Radio TK. Archived from the original on March 5, 2016. Retrieved July 14, 2013.
  30. ↑ "The Shock Treatment Bored with Band Aid? How About a Poodle Playing Guitar to Queen? Yes, Electric Six Are Back, Says Steve Jelbert". Belfast Telegraph . December 10, 2004. Archived from the original on November 17, 2018. Retrieved August 5, 2013– via HighBeam.
  31. ↑ "Inaugura Rubén Balcázar la Unidad Deportiva "Aurelio López" de Tecamachalco" (in Spanish). Tecamachalco.net. September 24, 2012. Archived from the original on September 13, 2014. Retrieved July 14, 2013.
  32. ↑ "La LMB dio a conocer su Novena Ideal Histórica" (in Spanish). Major League Baseball. June 28, 2020. Archived from the original on September 1, 2020. Retrieved May 29, 2023.
Aurelio López
Aurelio Lopez.jpg
Statue of López in Tecamachalco, Puebla
Pitcher
Born:(1948-09-21)September 21, 1948
Tecamachalco, Puebla, Mexico
Died: September 22, 1992(1992-09-22) (aged 44)
Matehuala, San Luis Potosí, Mexico
Batted: Right
Threw: Right
MLB debut
September 1, 1974, for the Kansas City Royals
Last MLB appearance
June 17, 1987, for the Houston Astros
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