Michael Helman had a hilarious reaction to his first hit in long-awaited MLB debut

While the Minnesota Twins were unable to get a win on Tuesday night in St. Petersburg, it was still a special night nonetheless.

Michael Helman made his long-awaited MLB debut after getting called up this week as part of the Twins' September roster expansion. It's been a long journey for Helman to reach this point, as he was a victim of various injuries, roster shuffling, and a global pandemic, but none of it was enough to keep him from reaching The Show.

That finally happened on Tuesday when Helman was in the lineup for the second of four games Minnesota has against Tampa Bay. Not only did he start the game, but with his family in attendance cheering him on, Helman wasted little time recording the first hit of his MLB career.

It was a special moment, one that Helman reflected on perfectly after the game. As if his first career hit wasn't already cool enough, hearing how genuine his reaction to it was makes it even better.

Michael Helman admits he almost screwed himself out of his first career MLB hit

Helman hustled out an infield hit to reach base for the first time in his career, but he almost messed it all up. He admitted after the game that after his helmet came flying off as he barreled through the bag, he had to sprint back in order to avoid accidentally getting put out.

"My helmet came off, and I did not realize that if I went to grab it, then it would have counted as an attempt to second base, so I sprinted right back to the bag. If I get tagged out on this, that's going to be embarrassing," Helman said.

How can you not be romantic about baseball?

It's a bit of a goofy moment, but it's also one of those stories that just feels like a perfect baseball memory. Helman got his hit, made his debut, and has a funny anecdote he can tell about it for the rest of his life.

That's a life that might have more Twins baseball in it. Helman's promotion to the big leagues isn't an accident; he was hitting .283 with 13 homers, 43 RBI and 10 stolen bases over 63 games with the St. Paul Saints, and plays all over the field in a way that feels like a classic Twins utilityman.

We'll see how he settles in the rest of the month, but his time with the team now should very much be seen as a potential audition for a roster spot next year.

If he does end up making the team in the future, at the very least he knows what not to do when he gets to first base.

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