Keaschall's walk-off HR in 11th caps historic game for Twins rookies

MINNEAPOLIS -- Two rookie infielders who took very different paths to the Major Leagues combined forces on Sunday afternoon to deliver one of the Twins’ most dramatic victories of the season.

Ryan Fitzgerald collected his first two big league hits, including his first home run, while Luke Keaschall continued to devour Major League pitching with three hits, including a walk-off two-run homer to give the Twins a 5-3 win in 11 innings and a series win against the Royals at Target Field.

Keaschall, a 2023 second-round Draft pick and the Twins’ No. 3 prospect per MLB Pipeline, reached the Major Leagues this April, but he broke his forearm in his seventh game. Keaschall returned on Tuesday after spending three months on the injured list, and in five games since, he’s logged at least two hits in four of those games to go with 10 RBIs.

Much of the talk has surrounded Keaschall’s hitting streak to start his MLB career, and with good reason. It reached 11 games with a second-inning single, leaving him two shy of the Twins’ record (Glenn Williams’ 13 in June 2005) and his manager Rocco Baldelli’s own streak (with the Rays in 2003).

Colorado’s David Dahl (2016) and Cincinnati’s Chuck Aleno (1941) hold the record with 17 among players to debut since 1900.

But after the game, the focus was on Keaschall’s second career homer and his first walk-off since Little League, he thought. It led to an exuberant trip around the bases and wild celebration at home plate with his teammates.

“I usually am calm, cool and collected,” Keaschall said, “but I kind of lost my crap and went crazy. It was a lot of fun.”

Meanwhile, Fitzgerald is the prototypical journeyman who spent eight years in the Minor Leagues without a callup. He was released by the Royals after last season and signed with the Twins as a free agent in January.

Fitzgerald turned 31 in June, which in baseball terms is old. But experience-wise, he has all of four Major League games under his belt, so any chance to put his skills on display under the brightest of lights is a welcome one.

And after a brief callup earlier this season, Fitzgerald could see more action this time around given Minnesota’s recent roster shakeup at the July 31 Trade Deadline.

“I’ve been doing this a long time. Nine seasons in the Minor Leagues,” Fitzgerald said. “Not everyone gets to make it this far. I’m just blessed to have the opportunity.”

On Sunday, Fitzgerald made a little history as well. In the bottom of the third inning, he homered off Royals starter Ryan Bergert. The last Twins player to turn the trick in a Minnesota uniform was Caleb Hamilton, a backup catcher and first baseman who had 23 plate appearances with the 2022 club.

“There are certain guys that have handled everything thrown their way with grace,” Baldelli said of Fitzgerald. “He’s a great dude. All the great things you can say about someone character-wise, and then you watch him get to enjoy it out there on the field.”

Hamilton’s home run ended up being his only hit as a Twin. Fitzgerald didn’t wait long to double his total, as he rapped a two-out single in the fifth inning. He also added a bit of icing to the cake with his glove.

The third baseman chased down a foul popup and sprawled over the rolled-up tarp to make a backhanded catch and retire Salvador Perez.

“I honestly didn’t even know the tarp was there. I was just like, ‘I’m just going to run into whatever is here,’” Fitzgerald said. “I’ll run through a wall to make a catch. I mean, that’s the kind of brand this group has. Tough players.”

Keaschall and Fitzgerald spent time together at Triple-A St. Paul this year, and they seem to have developed a bit of a mentorship situation.

“He’s the man. He’s been really great to me, even in my time in St. Paul -- he was like one of my best friends down there,” Keaschall said.

Now they’re leading the way for a new-look, scrappy Twins lineup that is 5-4 since the Trade Deadline and has been competitive in every game since.

“The way we’re able to work together as a group right now feels good, looks good. And I think there’s that feeling that everyone has inside them when they’re on the field,” Baldelli said. “They’re on their toes. They’re trying to make things happen and playing aggressively.”