Longtime minor league veteran smacked a two-run HR Sunday for his first major league hit
Ryan Fitzgerald hit his first major league home run in the Twins’ 5-3, 11-inning victory over Kansas City on Sunday. It bounced out of the porch in right field, so retrieving it wasn’t an issue — no trades necessary.
“I don’t think anyone wants my stuff anyway,” Fitzgerald said, holding the ball, already in a case ready to be given to his father. “They’d probably ask me for Keaschall’s stuff.”
Nearly lost in the dramatic catharsis of Luke Keaschall’s two-run walk-off homer, and even Michael Tonkin’s two-inning extras escape act, was Fitzgerald’s best game … probably ever.
The infielder has probably gone 5 for 5 before, and hit a walk-off home run somewhere. He has 12 seasons of college, minor league and independent baseball under his belt. But Sunday was special.
Sunday was in the majors, and the 31-year-old Fitzgerald was really good. He made his mark by hitting a two-run, go-ahead home run in the third inning for his first major league hit, and making some big outs on defense.
“They cleaned house last week, but it’s fun,” he said. “It’s a good group of ballplayers, and I think it’s a good brand of baseball.”
After playing off the bench in two games in May, Fitzgerald was recalled from Class AAA St. Paul in the wake of the Twins’ dramatic selloff at the July 31 trade deadline. In his first major league start on Sunday, he went 2 for 4 with a homer and single and, playing third base, fell over the tarp in left field to catch a pop foul.
He moved to shortstop in extras and made a key out as veteran right-hander Michael Tonkin performed a two-inning escape act for the victory.
Fitzgerald, who attended Creighton and was about to accept an invitation to play in the Mexican League when the Twins called this offseason, started his professional career with the independent South Bend Railcats in 2017. He made it as high as Triple-A in the Red Sox system and was playing in the Dominican League in 2024.
“I didn’t want to say (I thought) it would never come. Never say never,” Fitzgerald said Sunday. “But, obviously, the window was closing. The older you get, the less chance you have of making it. … It’s a grind when you just keep getting put down and don’t get a chance.
“I always tell people, ‘How am I going to put my head on the pillow at night and tell my kids to chase my dreams if I don’t do it?’ That’s kind of where it comes from.”
Fitzgerald is the 15th player in Twins history to homer for his first major league hit. The last to do it was Caleb Hamilton on Sept. 25, 2022.
Same plan for Buxton
Byron Buxton appears close to returning from the injured list and the Twins have no plans to give the veteran center fielder more off days as the team winds down a season that won’t end in the postseason.
Sidelined since leaving a July 26 loss to Washington with inflammation in his left rib cage, Buxton will travel to New York for a three-game series against the Yankees and could be activated as early as Monday.
Before getting hurt, Buxton, 31, was on pace to get near his career-high of 140 games played in 2017. He has played in 85 games and been on the IL twice, the first time for a concussion suffered in a collision with then-teammate Carlos Correa.
“I think we’re just going to plan on playing Buck every day as he has been,” manager Rocco Baldelli said before the Twins series finale against Kansas City on Sunday. “When he needs a day, he gets a day. It’s pretty straightforward. I’m not overthinking it. I think we’re going to have Buck on the field every day that he is capable of playing.”
An all-star for the second time this season, Buxton leads the Twins in home runs (23), RBIs (59), triples (4), stolen bases (17) and — among players with at least 50 at-bats — OPS (.901)..
Briefly
Mickey Gasper became the first catcher other than Ryan Jeffers and Christian Vazquez to start a game behind the plate for the Twins since the start of the 2023 season. It was his first major league start as a catcher.
