Lopez wins in major league debut

MIAMI — During the Marlins’ 5-2 win Saturday afternoon over the Mets, Miami right-hander Pablo Lopez quickly got a taste of both sides of the major leagues during his debut.

Lopez’s start began about as well as he could have wished, with an overpowering strikeout of leadoff hitter Brandon Nimmo. The next pitch shattered any cheerfulness ushered in by Lopez’s career-starting strikeout as Jose Bautista blasted a solo home run.

But the rest of Lopez’s first major league appearance was less eventful and the 22-year-old Venezuelan delivered a strong opening statement in his first start with the Marlins. He completed six innings, allowing just two runs and striking out five Mets in front of 10,523 at Marlins Park.

“I’m extremely happy with the way it went, with the atmosphere on the field, the atmosphere in the clubhouse with all the teammates,” Lopez said. “I’ll take everything from the experience, and it’s something I will cherish for the rest of my life. Having the opportunity to play this game, it’s already magical, it’s already special enough.”

Like Sandy Alcantara the night before, Lopez picked up his first major league victory. The Marlins (34-50) and Mets (32-48) are now tied for the worst record in the National League, with Miami percentage points ahead of New York.

Alcantara and Lopez became the first NL teammates to win their debuts in back-to-back days since 1967, when Gary Nolan and Mel Queen did so for Cincinnati.

“I know there was a lot of yelling and screaming over the course of the winter, but we, from [Marlins CEO] Derek [Jeter ] to [president of baseball operations Michael Hill], talked about building something, building it with pitching,” Marlins manager Don Mattingly said.