López was born on September 21, 1948 in Tecamachalco, Puebla, Mexico, to Aurelio López Hernández of Veracruz and Félix Rios Torres of Tecamachalco.
During the 1977 Mexican League season, López earned a 19-3 win-loss record, a 2.01 ERA and 165 strikeouts over 157 innings in 73 games.