Correa says López cemented himself as true ace in Game 2: 'He showed up'

Minnesota Twins shortstop Carlos Correa had nothing but praise for teammate Pablo López following a tremendous Game 2 outing against the Houston Astros in the American League Division Series.

"What you saw today was a true ace," Correa said, according to MLB.com's Do-Hyoung Park.

"He cements himself with this start as one of the best pitchers in the game. There's no doubt about that. On the biggest stage, the biggest spot, with the most pressure that anybody could have, he showed up."

López was terrific when his team needed him most. Down 1-0 to the Astros in the series, the 27-year-old fired seven scoreless innings to become the first Twins pitcher to do so in the postseason since his idol Johan Santana in 2004.

"These are moments that sometimes as players we don't understand that we have to cherish them, because sometimes they're short," López said, according to MLB.com's Nathan Han. "Sometimes, they don't come again."

López has been on fire in the postseason thus far, going 2-0 with a 0.71 ERA and 1.11 WHIP in 12 2/3 innings against the Astros and Toronto Blue Jays. His first-pitch strike percentage in Game 2 was 81%, which left Houston manager Dusty Baker nearly speechless following the loss.

"There’s nothing you can say," Baker said. "The guy was dealing tonight."

López could pitch again in Game 5 of the series if the ALDS reaches that point.