Nicky Lopez’s family was fired up after his first hit with the Royals
This is the stat line from Nicky Lopez’s first game with the Royals: 1 for 4 with a run scored, an RBI and a walk.
Unofficially, you can add this: one very proud family.
Lopez’s parents, Bob and Angela, were at Tuesday’s game with their other two sons, Bobby and Anthony.
There were high fives all around as the family celebrated Lopez’s first major-league hit in the seventh inning of the Royals’ 11-5 victory over the Rangers at Kauffman Stadium.
Lopez’s agent and girlfriend were among those who joined in the joyful moment:
During the game, Lopez’s parents talked with Joel Goldberg of Fox Sports Kansas City and Angela recounted the prank Triple-A manager Brian Poldberg played on Lopez and his mother.
“I was at work and I had seen Nicky’s name come up on my phone,” Angela Lopez told Goldberg. “I usually don’t answer my phone and I answered the phone and said, ‘Hey, Nick, what’s up? It was Brian Poldberg. He said, ‘Hi Mrs. Lopez, it’s me, Brian, Nicky’s coach. Just so you know, Nicky was wondering why he sat today,’ — because they sat him (Monday) — and Brian said, ‘I told him that’s because you called me and you were a little upset didn’t get a hit with his pink bat for Mother’s Day.’ So I’m like, ‘Oh, OK, that’s funny.’ Then he said, ‘No, the real reason is he’s going up,’ and then I cried.”
Here is that interview:
