Twins rookie Brooks Lee on first career homer: ‘I was fired up’

Brooks Lee walked out of the Twins clubhouse Saturday with the lineup card from his major league debut; the baseballs from his first hit, first double and first homer, and a new parking pass.

In the past four days, there has been a lot to celebrate.

Lee clubbed his first major league homer during Saturday’s 9-3 victory over the Houston Astros, sending a curveball from Hunter Brown over the wall in right-center field. His helmet fell off his head when he saw the ball reach the stands, and he caught it behind his back midstride, breaking into a wide smile.

“My helmet doesn’t fit, but we made it work,” Lee said. “It was so cool. I was fired up. That’s how I like to play. I feel at home here.”

Lee, the son of a college baseball coach, expected to receive the silent treatment, or another rookie ritual, when he returned to the dugout after his homer, but it was all excitement. He was given the purple fedora the Twins use for home run celebrations, and he posed for the cameras alongside veteran players Christian Vázquez and Carlos Santana.

He joined Eddie Rosario as the only two players in franchise history with a hit and an RBI in each of their first four career games.

“I tried to take in the moment my first at-bat, and I struck out looking,” Lee said. “So, I’m just going back to playing normal baseball. When I sat back on the bench, after I hit the home run, I’m like, ‘Wow, I can’t believe that happened.’ I’m so happy. I’m sure my parents are extremely happy.”

Lee traded a signed bat and ball for his home run ball. He plans to give his mementos to his dad, Larry Lee, who coached him in college at Cal Poly.

“We don’t focus on expectations,” Twins manager Rocco Baldelli said. “We just focus on the job we know how to do, and he’s good at simplifying that. He’s good at just showing up and trying to play good baseball.”

The Twins have “TBA” listed as their starter for Monday’s series opener against the White Sox in Chicago, but all signs point to Chris Paddack rejoining the rotation from the 15-day injured list.

Paddack simulated a game in a bullpen session earlier in the week, taking five-minute breaks to serve as innings, and he threw a typical pre-start bullpen session Saturday.

“We’ve been bouncing back great,” Paddack said. “It was a perfect opportunity to take a couple weeks, skip a couple starts, build that confidence back up and making sure I’m healthy before the All-Star break.”

Paddack went on the IL with right shoulder fatigue after his velocity dipped and he allowed 15 runs in 17⅓ innings across four June starts (7.79 ERA).

“His body is feeling more like itself,” Baldelli said. “I think he feels pretty recharged. The ball feels like it’s coming out a lot better than it was coming out before. He was struggling to get his body going and his arm going before we put him on the IL. We’re in the process of it, but this is accomplishing what we hoped.”

Matt Wallner was scratched from the St. Paul Saints lineup Saturday, and he’s expected to be called up to the Twins roster Sunday.

Wallner, the International League player of the month in June, was batting .342 with a .417 on-base percentage in his last 29 minor league games with 12 homers and 29 RBI. It will be the first time the Forest Lake native is back in the big leagues since April 16.

The Twins did not announce a corresponding roster move.

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