Ryan Fitzgerald, in his major league starting debut, belted a home run for first career hit

Ryan Fitzgerald played 708 minor league games over the last eight years, and that doesn’t include a season in an independent league, before he received his first major league start Sunday.

Fitzgerald made it more memorable when he pulled a two-run homer above the right-field wall in the third inning for his first big-league hit. Fitzgerald celebrated with a bat flip when he saw the ball drop into the flowerpots before the ball bounced back onto the field.

“I’ve hit a lot of topspin homers this year, so I kind of have a feel for it,” said Fitzgerald, who entered Sunday hitless in three career at-bats. “I mean, it would have [been tough] if it didn’t go out with the bat flip and all. I don’t know where that came from.”

Fitzgerald, a 31-year-old who went undrafted out of Creighton University, never gave up on playing in the big leagues despite remaining stuck in Class AAA for the past three seasons. He was set to play in Mexico this year, after playing in the Dominican Winter League, before the Twins offered him a minor league contract in January.

He was briefly called up in May when Carlos Correa was on the seven-day concussion injured list, and then he was recalled after Correa was traded to Houston.

“He keeps everyone around him young, even though he’s on the older end,” Twins second baseman Luke Keaschall said. “He’s the man. He’s been really great to me, even in my time in St. Paul. He was one of my best friends down there.”

Fitzgerald, coincidentally, played in the Kansas City organization last year before he drilled a slider from Royals starter Ryan Bergert that caught the middle of the plate.

“The window was closing,” Fitzgerald said. “The older you get, the less chance you have of making it. I was headed to Mexico this winter. I played in the Dominican [Winter League], and I had an offer to play in Mexico for the season. Then the Twins offered me [a minor league contract] at the end of January. It all worked out.”

Fitzgerald, who added a single in the fifth inning and caught a foul ball while falling over the tarp past third base, carried his home run ball to his postgame news conference. He has a lot of memorabilia, particularly bobbleheads, at his home, but he plans to give the ball to his parents.

Fortunately, the ball fell back onto the field, so he didn’t have to work out a trade for the ball.

“I don’t think anyone wants my stuff,” Fitzgerald said. “They’d probably ask me for Keaschall’s stuff.”

For the first time since Oct. 5, 2022 — 440 games ago — the Twins started a game without Ryan Jeffers or Christian Vázquez behind the plate.

“That’s a long run. It says a lot about both of the guys that have been a part of it,” manager Rocco Baldelli said. “Very dependable members of our team. We’re not talking a couple of months. We’re talking years here.”

Gary Sánchez started at catcher for the final game of the 2022 season.

* Byron Buxton will travel with the Twins to New York for their upcoming road series against the Yankees, and he could be activated from the 10-day injured list Monday. He has been sidelined with inflammation in his left ribcage.

* Twins left fielder Alan Roden was removed for a pinch hitter in the ninth inning Sunday because he jammed his thumb. “He jammed it pretty good,” Baldelli said. “He was swinging in the cage between innings to test it out, and it wasn’t close to perfect. He was feeling it.”