Pablo López, Twins detail 'Pablo Day' ticket promo

MINNEAPOLIS -- Pablo López was watching highlights of Félix Hernández on Monday, of course, since it was the birthday of “King Félix” -- one of the legends of López’s home country of Venezuela.

López couldn’t help but marvel at the King’s Court in Seattle, that dedicated section of the stands where fans would hype up Hernández on his start days -- and now, López will get one for himself on the days the Twins like to refer to as “Pablo Day.”

The Twins, along with Pablo and Kaylee López, announced Monday that special “Pablo Day” ticket packages will be available for every López home start from May through September, including a special Venezuela-themed “Pablo” jersey and a seat in a section for López -- with a portion from the proceeds going to three hand-picked local nonprofits dear to the family’s hearts.

“It means a lot to me and a lot to us that they're allowing us to be a part of something big and something unique that's happening,” López said. “To be a part of this community has always been very special to us. Kaylee's from the Midwest and I met Kaylee playing in the Midwest League, so obviously, the quality of people that belong to Twins Territory means a lot to me.”

Community engagement has been a core of the López’s family’s involvement in both Miami and Minneapolis -- and López will get a reminder of that every time he looks up on his start days.

“I think it's going to be truly special if I happen to peek at the stands and I happen to see a lot of people wearing the jersey waiting for a strikeout, waiting for a big out, big moment,” López said. “I think it will definitely add adrenaline and passion to the moment itself.”

Here are the three nonprofits the family picked:

Children’s Minnesota

López comes from a family of doctors, so it was important to him to choose a medical nonprofit to help children and their families. He visited Children’s Minnesota during Childhood Cancer Awareness Month at one of their facilities that makes them one of the largest freestanding pediatric health systems in the country.

“The kid experts can't deliver the type of care that our families have come to expect without the generosity of our donor community,” said Kayla Shafer, manager of child life, music therapy and bereavement services. “Donations like these provided through Pablo Day ensure that kids continue to receive essential wraparound services that never appear on a patient's bill."

Project Success

Kaylee López has a teaching background, so it was also important for the family to engage with Project Success, which works with schools, educators and individuals throughout the Twin Cities to provide educational resources and opportunities for local youth to learn both academic and life skills.

“With the Twins, we have been able to bring hundreds of thousands of students to opportunities here, and with this great partnership with the López family, we'll be able to continue to do that,” said Laura Garcia, senior director of programs. “We never tell a student what their definition of success is -- they can create that themselves.”

Ruff Start Rescue

Pablo López didn’t have a pet growing up, but he and Kaylee adopted their dog, Bennie, during the 2019 offseason, and he even hosted an offseason pickleball event in Miami to benefit an animal rescue. Ruff Start focuses on veterinary care, education and adoption of pets and were hoping to partner with animal lovers.

They found that in the López family.

“This is just an amazing opportunity for us,” said founder and executive director Azure Davis. “We really rely on donations for what we do. We have a lot of vet bills. Just to give you an idea, I started this 14 years ago, and since that time, we've rescued 25,000 animals. The need is just tremendous, especially right now.”