DaShawn Keirsey Jr. is coming in with the right mindset from Day 1.
The Minnesota Twins outfielder Keirsey, who was called up the team earlier this month, recorded the first hit of his MLB career against the Los Angeles Angels on Tuesday. In the eighth inning of the eventual 10-5 victory by the Twins, Keirsey hit a chopper to the right side and hustled down the line for an infield single.
DaShawn Keirsey Jr.'s first Major League hit pic.twitter.com/ryLfMd9psU
— Minnesota Twins (@Twins) September 11, 2024
After the game, Keirsey spoke with reporters and delivered an all-time cold quote in response to logging his first career hit.
“2,999 more to go,” said Keirsey, per Do-Hyoung Park of MLB.com.
The 3,000-hit club is perhaps the one most iconic club in baseball, regarded as the pinnacle of batting achievement. Only 33 players have ever recorded 3,000 MLB hits, and just five have entered the club in the last decade (Alex Rodriguez, Ichiro Suzuki, Adrian Beltre, Albert Pujols, and Miguel Cabrera). When it comes to active hits leaders, nobody is particularly close to 3,000 either (Freddie Freeman is the nearest at a fairly distant 2,253).
Keirsey might be behind the 8-ball since he is already 27 years old, having been in the minors since 2016. But you have to love that kind of energy from a rookie, especially on a playoff-contending Twins team that is only getting more quotable as the season goes on.
