• Stories by Subject
  • Stories by State
  • COMMENTS/SUGGESTIONS

Timber Rattlers Throwback Jersey Auction to benefit family of former player

July 31, 2014

Jorge Lopez pitched for the Timber Rattlers in 2013. His son is fighting a serious is fighting serious medical problems and the proceeds from the Timber Rattlers Throwback Jersey Auction will go to help.
Jorge Lopez pitched for the Timber Rattlers in 2013. His son is fighting a serious is fighting serious medical problems and the proceeds from the Timber Rattlers Throwback Jersey Auction will go to help.

Wisconsin-Timber-Rattlers-2014The Wisconsin Timber Rattlers are holding a silent auction for their 20th Anniversary Throwback Jerseys on Friday, August 29. The team will be donating the proceeds from that auction to assist former Rattlers pitcher Jorge Lopez and his family, who are dealing with the serious illness of Mikael, his one-year old son.

Lopez, a Milwaukee Brewers pitching prospect, spent the 2013 season with the Wisconsin Timber Rattlers. During last season, Lopez and his wife became parents to Mikael, who was born prematurely.

Mikael’s story is told in this FloridaToday.com article by John A. Torres:

“They told us these were just complications from him being born premature,” the 21-year-old Lopez said this week from Space Coast Stadium, where he is helping anchor one of the best pitching staffs in the Florida State League.

More doctors and two more hospitals followed, including the leading children’s hospital in Puerto Rico where Lopez is from. They stayed at the children’s hospital for five months as doctors ran batteries of tests to find out what was wrong with the boy.

“He was getting sick a lot, and he wasn’t gaining any weight. He had bronchitis and pneumonia and was very bad,” Lopez said. “Finally we brought him to a hospital in Miami.”

That’s where they discovered that the little boy’s intestines had never worked a day in his young life. An unknown autoimmune disease has necessitated an intestinal transplant.

“Now we are waiting to see if the transplant is the answer,” Lopez said, realizing all too well that he is a key player in a story about faith, baseball, a rare disease and the need for a miracle.

The financial hardships are not just medical for the Lopez family. The costs of transporting Mikael from Puerto Rico to Miami were $8,000 alone.

The silent auction for their pinstriped throwback uniforms will be held from 5:30pm until the end of the seventh inning when the Timber Rattlers host the Burlington Bees on Friday, August 29 in Wisconsin’s final regular season home game of the season.

The Brevard County Manatees, Milwaukee’s Florida State league affiliate and Lopez’s current team, have started a GoFundMe site to assist the Lopez family with their expenses. All proceeds from the Timber Rattlers silent auction of their Throwback Jerseys will go to that fund.

This article originally appeared on the official website of the Wisconsin Timber Rattlers. Click here to view the original story.

Tagged as : Charity Auctions/Raffles, Children's Health and Development, Donations, Family Relief/Resources, Midwest League, Milwaukee Brewers, Wisconsin, Wisconsin Timber Rattlers { }

Welcome to clubphilanthropy.com!

Minor League Baseball clubs have been actively involved in their communities for many years. For the first time, their activities and contributions will be chronicled on this site.

Clubs don’t publicize all of their activity, so these stories represent a mere fraction of the contributions MiLB clubs make to their communities every year.

Archives

  • December 2022
  • November 2022
  • October 2022
  • September 2022
  • August 2022
  • July 2022
  • June 2022
  • May 2022
  • April 2022
  • March 2022
  • February 2022
  • January 2022
  • December 2021
  • November 2021
  • October 2021
  • September 2021
  • August 2021
  • July 2021
  • June 2021
  • May 2021
  • April 2021
  • March 2021
  • February 2021
  • January 2021
  • December 2020
  • November 2020
  • October 2020
  • September 2020
  • August 2020
  • July 2020
  • June 2020
  • May 2020
  • April 2020
  • March 2020
  • February 2020
  • January 2020
  • December 2019
  • November 2019
  • October 2019
  • September 2019
  • August 2019
  • July 2019
  • June 2019
  • May 2019
  • April 2019
  • March 2019
  • February 2019
  • January 2019
  • December 2018
  • November 2018
  • October 2018
  • September 2018
  • August 2018
  • July 2018
  • June 2018
  • May 2018
  • April 2018
  • March 2018
  • February 2018
  • January 2018
  • December 2017
  • November 2017
  • October 2017
  • September 2017
  • August 2017
  • July 2017
  • June 2017
  • May 2017
  • April 2017
  • March 2017
  • February 2017
  • January 2017
  • December 2016
  • November 2016
  • October 2016
  • September 2016
  • August 2016
  • July 2016
  • June 2016
  • May 2016
  • April 2016
  • March 2016
  • February 2016
  • January 2016
  • November 2015
  • October 2015
  • July 2015
  • June 2015
  • May 2015
  • April 2015
  • March 2015
  • February 2015
  • January 2015
  • December 2014
  • November 2014
  • October 2014
  • September 2014
  • August 2014
  • July 2014
  • June 2014
  • May 2014
  • April 2014
  • March 2014
  • February 2014
  • January 2014
  • December 2013
  • November 2013
  • October 2013
  • September 2013
  • August 2013
  • July 2013
  • June 2013
  • May 2013
  • April 2013
  • March 2013
  • February 2013
  • January 2013
  • December 2012
  • November 2012
  • October 2012
  • September 2012
  • August 2012
  • July 2012
  • June 2012
  • May 2012
  • April 2012
  • March 2012
  • February 2012
  • January 2012
  • December 2011
  • November 2011
  • October 2011
  • September 2011
  • August 2011
  • July 2011
  • June 2011
  • May 2011
  • April 2011
  • March 2011
  • February 2011
  • January 2011
  • December 2010
  • November 2010
  • October 2010
  • September 2010
  • August 2010
  • July 2010
  • June 2010
  • May 2010
  • April 2010
  • March 2010
  • February 2010
  • January 2010
  • December 2009
  • October 2009
  • September 2009
  • August 2009
  • July 2009
  • June 2009
  • May 2009

© 2025 · clubphilanthropy.com