ST. LOUIS — DaShawn Keirsey Jr. realized a while ago that he was good enough to play in the major leagues. He just hadn't gotten the opportunity.
After tasting the big leagues in September in a call-up from Triple-A when rosters expanded, Keirsey had his appetite whetted. He even hit his first big-league home run.
Now, about six weeks before Keirsey turns 28, he's about to experience his first Opening Day.
"I'm stoked being in St. Louis," Keirsey said Wednesday after a team workout at Busch Stadium.
It's better, with no offense to wherever Triple-A St. Paul is playing to open its season, than being in the minors. Keirsey has spent multiple Opening Days working his way up to this moment, and he appreciates how it helped to prepare him. If he tasted any bitterness at the time, Keirsey just kept on chewing.
"You either take it and grind and keep pushing, or you can give up and feel sorry for yourself, Keirsey said.
Mickey Gasper hit .328/.440/.531 with 12 home runs in 380 plate appearances in 2024 between Double-A and Triple-A, and it earned him a 13-game promotion to the Boston Red Sox at almost 29 years old.
With about 24 hours to go, it still wasn't settling in that he was going to experience his first Opening Day as a major leaguer.
"When I see my parents maybe, or if there's a flyover," Gasper said.
He describes himself as an emotional player, so Gasper expects to feel a change once the first pitch is thrown.
"The game is what gets me going," Gasper said.
And maybe, once he sees his parents, if his mom starts to lose it.
"That might make me a little emotional," Gasper admitted.
Keirsey said his family got emotional too, when he called them to say Twins manager Rocco Baldelli gave him the news that Keirsey had made the Twins out of Spring Training. The only thing, Baldelli added, was to keep it a secret in the clubhouse for a little wile until all of the players up for open spots were told their destinies.
"It was a really quick interaction because I was one of the first guys he told," Keirsey said. "I kind of walked to my locker, grabbed my phone and called my fiancée. She's on West Coast time, so it kind of woke her up. She's my rock, but she was started to cry. Then I called my dad right after, and he kind of got teary eyed as well. He's been my No. 1 supporter.
"More than for myself, being able to call my family and share this news, it's been a blessing, because those are the people that have gotten me to the point that I am today."
Gasper almost didn't make it to Opening Day even after the staff decided to put him on the team.
Gasper was on his way to getting good news Sunday when he collided with shortstop Brandon Winokur on a ground ball up the middle in one of the final Grapefruit League games of the season. Winokur stepped on Gasper's left ankle and gave it a nasty laceration that required six stitches. Gasper hobbled out of the ballpark using crutches.
Baldelli's first thought was: there's no way he'll be able to play by Thursday.
But the medical staff at JetBlue Park in Fort Myers did a good job with the stitching, and Gasper did a good job of keeping the area clean and tidy when he started to work out again after a brief rest. Gasper did everything he needed to do at the workout Wednesday to get ready for his next big moment. He even caught Joe Ryan's most recent bullpen session.
Mickey Gasper side eye pic.twitter.com/K8HceOSpha
— David Brown (@answerdavebrown) March 26, 2025
"Checked all the boxes, so I'm good to go," Gasper.
Gasper, who comes from New Hampshire, had his parents in person at all of his games in '24. He didn't get any hits. It was especially tough when he'd look at a tablet in the dugout for a replay of one of his at-bats, looking for tips on how to do better, and the broadcast would cut to a shot of mom and dad getting excited that he was coming to the plate, only to get deflated when he made an out.
Or worse: when they used a split screen. Eighteen times this happened.
"I'm trying to look at my at-bat, and I see my parents stressing every pitch," Gasper said. "So I was like, 'I'm... I'm all set. I don't really want to watch that at-bat anymore.' "
As for starting his career 0-for-18, Gasper said he's got to remain patient. He's good at that, having walked more times than he struck out in 2024.
"You can't chase hits," Gasper said. "Just hit it on the barrel and see what happens."
Keirsey can't wait to see what happens at Busch in the pregame ceremonies. He's seen the show before — in video clips on the internet. And in person, sort of, down at the Double-A park in Springfield, Mo. They simulate, in a toned-down way, the Cardinals' Opening Day spectacle of driving in the team's hall-of-famers in convertibles and trucks. Keirsey liked the homage.
"I want to say we opened with them in '22, and they drove all the players in on Chevy trucks," Keirsey said. "It wasn't quite like how they do it here, with all the Clydesdale horses," Keirsey said. "So I'm just excited to be able to experience that and I'm really trying to take it slow and just like soak up each and every moment."
They might have been in a hurry to make the big leagues, but now Keirsey and Gasper just want to make it last.