The Atlanta Braves made what seemed like a fairly small move before the trade deadline by acquiring infielder Nicky Lopez from the Kansas City Royals.
Lopez made his Braves debut as a pinch-runner last Tuesday, but was given his first start for the team in the first game of a Saturday doubleheader against the New York Mets. It’s safe to say he went above and beyond what could have been expected of him.
In his first Braves at-bat in the second inning, Lopez delivered an RBI double. He followed with an RBI single in the fourth, then capped off his day with a three-run home run off position player Danny Mendick in the ninth. That was Lopez’s first home run since 2021.
How does it get better? The Braves had a 21-3 lead, so they let Lopez pitch the bottom of the ninth. After a leadoff walk, he retired the side in order.
In total, Lopez went 4-for-6 with a home run and five RBI while also pitching a scoreless inning. Not even Shohei Ohtani has produced a game where he got at least four hits, five RBI, a home run and a mound appearance.
Lopez did not even look like the Braves’ biggest trade deadline addition. Obviously, this kind of production can’t be expected of him going forward, but he’s already produced a performance more memorable than even he probably expected.
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