Javier Lopez

For the all-star catcher, see Javy Lopez.

Javier Alfonso López (born July 11, 1977 in San Juan, Puerto Rico) is a retired relief pitcher in Major League Baseball and a member of the 2007 World Champion Boston Red Sox. Previously, López played with the Colorado Rockies (2003–2005) , Arizona Diamondbacks (2005), and Chicago White Sox (2006). He is a left-handed specialist known for his sidearm delivery. He also bats left-handed.

High School

Lopez attended Robinson Secondary School in Fairfax, Virginia, as did his wife.

College

Javier went to college at the University of Virginia and played for the Virginia Cavaliers baseball team. While playing there, he went 12–9 with a 6.30 ERA. He had a batting average of .319, 15 home runs, and 71 RBI.

Minor League career

Lopez played one year in the double-A Texas League in 2002. He played in 61 games as a reliver, with only a .204 opponent batting average. That year, he went 2–2 with a 2.72 ERA. He also did not allow an earned run in 53 of his relief appearances.

2003 and 2004: Colorado Rockies

Lopez made his MLB debut for the Colorado Rockies on Opening Day in 2003. He had a good rookie year, playing in 72 games, which was third among alls rookie in the major leagues that year. He had a 4–1 record, a 3.70 ERA, and recorded one save. Lopez almost tied a franchise record by retiring 18 straight hitters over the span of seventeen days, but fell short of the record of 21 set by Darren Holmes in 1996.

Lopez started off badly in 2004. Through mid-season, he was 1–2 and had a 7.52 ERA in 64 games. He was sent down to AAA Colorado Springs during the middle of the summer. While in AAA, he went 0–1 and had a 4.00 ERA. He was called back to the majors in August and played the rest of the season in Colorado.

2005: Arizona Diamondbacks

Javier was traded from Colorado in the Middle of the 2005 season to the Arizona Diamondbacks. He had another bad season, having a record of 1–1 and an 11.02 ERA, the highest in the majors. He was sent down to AAA Tucson in July and want 0–1 with a 2.22 ERA while finishing the 2005 season there.

2006–2009: Boston Red Sox

Lopez played for both the Chicago White Sox and the Boston Red Sox in 2006. Playing for the AAA Charlotte Knights, Javier was 2–1, had 12 saves, and had a dominant 0.55 ERA. He was traded to the Boston Red Sox on June 15. He finished the year with the Red Sox going 1–0 with a 2.70 ERA.

Javier had a good year in 2007, with 61 relief appearances over three major league stints with the Red Sox. He had a 2–1 record with a 3.10 era. He made 40 appearances for the Pawtucket Red Sox, going 2–1 with a 3.78 ERA. Lopez was a member of the 2007 World Series championship roster for the Red Sox. On 18 January, 2008, López agreed to a one year contract with the Red Sox for $840,000, avoiding the arbitration process.

See also

• Arizona Diamondbacks all-time roster
• Boston Red Sox all-time roster
• Colorado Rockies all-time roster

External links

• Baseball Reference