For the first time this decade, Minnesota Twins fans had something to celebrate on Opening Day.
The Twins started the season with a 2-0 victory over the Kansas City Royals on Thursday, a cause for celebration that fans haven't had since 2020 and have only experienced four times in the Target Field era.
Not to go too far down this rabbit hole, but the win in Kansas City makes just the 18th time since 1980 that the Twins have managed to win on Opening Day. Hopefully it's a sign of the times changing, and a lot of that hope begins with how Pablo Lopez did in his debut with the team.
Lopez starting Opening Day on the mound for the Twins came at a price, though. Minnesota acquired him from the Miami Marlins back in January -- along with top prospect Jose Salas -- in exchange for Luis Arraez.
So while Lopez was making his debut with the Twins, Arraez was down in Miami making his debut with the Marlins.
Arraez batted leadoff for the Marlins on Opening Day and it didn't take long for him to make an impact. On just the second pitch of the first at-bat with his new team, Arraez picked up where he left off in 2022 and got a base hit single.
Save that baseball!!!!@Arraez_21 records his first hit in a Miami Marlins uniform 👏@Marlins | #MakeItMiami pic.twitter.com/2DEGm2uRIk
— Bally Sports Florida & Bally Sports Sun (@BallySportsFL) March 30, 2023
It's a bittersweet moment, as Twins fans harbor no ill feelings towards Arraez and are wishing him nothing but success in Miami. That being said, seeing him do this with another team isn't something that feels great, even if it's nice to see him pick up right where he left off with the Twins.
While it's not easy to see Arraez wearing a different uniform, Lopez's performance went a long way to make Twins fans feel better about it. Lopez finished his first start for Minnesota by going 5.1 innings and allowing zero runs on just two hits.
Lopez's performance on the mound was backed up by the Twins bullpen dealing 5.2 scoreless and hitless innings to secure the win.
Seeing Arraez in Miami is a tough sight, but what Twins fans saw in Kansas City as a result of trading him away arguably makes it worth the price.