Braves Pitcher Reynaldo López Points to the Sky, Keeping a Promise He Made Before the Majors

Each time Atlanta Braves starter Reynaldo López finishes an inning, he looks up, points to the sky and walks into the dugout. He has made the gesture since 2016, the year he debuted in the majors with the Washington Nationals.

López was raised a Christian, and he says the gesture is his way of giving thanks. "I thank God for being in this game and the (opportunity) we have to be at the top of this game," he said in a recent interview. It began as a private promise he made before reaching the big leagues: if he made it, he would be thankful for his entire career.

The roots go back to age 7, when he began praying that he would someday play in the majors. He had no idea how that might happen. During the Braves' May 13 off-day, before a series against the Mets in New York, he and his mother recalled those early prayers. "I was just a kid. I just played baseball," he said.

His mother, also a Christian, prayed that her son would land with a team where he was comfortable and could advance quickly. Washington signed him in 2012. López said she then cried for about a week.

Family sacrifice is part of the story too. When López was a boy, his grandfather sold one of the family's cows to buy him a glove and a bat. López still keeps a picture of his grandfather at home and thinks of him while pitching. His grandfather died last year. "God and (my grandfather), they did so much for me, so I have to remember that every time," López said.

His grandmother, who is still alive, began taking him to church at age 4 and taught him to pray. Today he prays three times a day, including first thing in the morning and last thing at night, in a small room in his house set aside for the purpose. "There's too much bad things going on right now in this world," he said.

His relatives in Marietta attend church every Sunday, though his schedule keeps him from joining them. In the Dominican Republic, near where he grew up, his family goes twice a week: Tuesday for the Bible story and Sunday for regular service. "I love Jesus, and I follow Him because he sacrificed his life for us," López said, adding that his devotion is not tied to blessings or what he has received.

Elsewhere in the Braves clubhouse, infielder Luke Williams met his partner, Marlia, after his friend Mickey Moniak, now with the Angels, set them up. They met in Florida during spring training, and a week later Williams was traded to the Giants. Marlia lived in San Francisco, and the two are still together.

Closer Raisel Iglesias, in his 10th major league season, has been on the injured list only twice since the start of 2018: in May 2018 and at the start of last season, for a right shoulder strain. He credits daily work to prepare his body for high-leverage moments. Atlanta acquired him at the 2022 trade deadline.

The lineup has been steady as well. Ronald Acuña Jr. had started all 39 of the Braves' games before sitting out Wednesday, when Austin Riley, dealing with left side tightness, was also out. Before then, Acuña, Ozzie Albies, Riley, Matt Olson and Marcell Ozuna had largely held the top five spots in the order. Last weekend in New York, the Braves were one out from a no-hitter, which would have been their first in 30 years, before J.D. Martinez homered off Iglesias.