Reynaldo López joins Greg Maddux and Tom Glavine in the Atlanta Braves history books

Wednesday’s showdown between the Atlanta Braves and Detroit Tigers featured a clash between two of baseball’s hottest arms – Reynaldo López and Tarik Skubal.

López prevailed in the one-sided pitchers’ duel, making franchise history.

The right-hander allowed seven hits, one walk and no earned runs in 5.0 innings, totaling six strikeouts on the afternoon. López also got credit for the victory, as the Atlanta team reached Skubal early and set the stage for a 7-0 victory.

In 13 appearances this season, López is 5-2 with a 1.57 ERA, 1.076 WHIP and 76 strikeouts.

Sarah Langs of MLB.com noted that López is now tied for the second-fewest in 13 starts by a Braves pitcher since earned runs became an official statistic in the National League in 1912. Greg Maddux set the record with a rating of 1.41 in 1994, while Tom Glavine is alongside López at 1.57.

López’s strong start to 2024 is all the more impressive considering he spent the previous two seasons as a reliever.

The former Washington Nationals top prospect showed promise with the Chicago White Sox in 2018, posting a 3.91 ERA over 32 starts, but his ERA climbed to 5.38 in 2019 and 6.49 in 2020. From 2021 to 2023, López went 13-15 with a 3.14 ERA and 1.064 WHIP as he transitioned to the bullpen and bounced back to the Los Angeles Angels and the Cleveland Guardians.

Atlanta was able to sign López to a three-year, $30 million contract in November.

López has more than lived up to that award midway through 2024. Not only is he a leading contender to win the NL Cy Young, but López is officially posting one of the best season starts Atlanta has had in decades .

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