Twins Prospect Walker Jenkins Comments on Big Career Moment

Jesse Johnson-Imagn Images

Twins Prospect Walker Jenkins Comments on Big Career Moment

Originally posted on Athlon Sports | By Miracle Dimwesh | Last updated Sep 1, 2026 9:36 AM ET

Walker Jenkins was more nervous facing a 37 mph pitch than he is during a normal major league at-bat.

The Minnesota Twins prospect made that admission after hitting the first home run of his MLB career in Monday’s 11-1 win over the Detroit Tigers.

Jenkins connected on a two-run blast off Tigers utility player Zach McKinstry, who was called on to pitch the eighth inning of the lopsided game.

Walker Jenkins: “I was more nervous for that than my normal at-bats, without a doubt. But I legit had coaches tell me if you face a guy like that, try to hit it off the foul pole. It worked out. … That was not how I expected the first one to go.” #MNTwins https://t.co/zsuPtZLZny
— DanHayesMLB (@DanHayesMLB) September 1, 2026

According to The Athletic’s Dan Hayes, Jenkins admitted the unusual matchup brought some extra nerves.

“I was more nervous for that than my normal at-bats, without a doubt,” Jenkins said. “But I legit had coaches tell me if you face a guy like that, try to hit it off the foul pole. It worked out.”

The 21-year-old added that hitting his first career homer against a position player was not how he expected the milestone to happen.

Jenkins’ shot came on an extremely slow offering from McKinstry and traveled down the right-field line before striking the foul pole.

Minnesota Twins center fielder Walker Jenkins (11) Jesse Johnson-Imagn Images

The homer also gave Jenkins an early statistical boost through his first three major league games. According to Baseball Reference statistics, he is batting .250 with three hits in 12 at-bats.

He has one home run, three RBIs and a.940 OPS, with a.357 on-base percentage and.583 slugging percentage.

It is only the beginning of Jenkins’ major league career, but his first homer will be difficult to forget. After all, not every player gets to say their first MLB home run came after nervously preparing to face a 37 mph pitch.

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This article first appeared on Athlon Sports and was syndicated with permission.

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