Twins celebrate Vázquez's milestone with balloons and festive live music

ARLINGTON -- Christian Vázquez didn’t expect to be taken in the 2008 MLB Draft. He didn’t expect to play in the World Series. And he definitely didn’t envision hitting the coveted 10 years of service time in the Majors.

“I never expected this,” he said, prior to catching and recording a hit in the Twins' 3-2 win over Texas. “I never thought I was going to be in the situation I’m in now in my life – a lot of trophies in my house over 10 years. It’s been special.”

The Twins celebrated the milestone before their series opener against the Rangers on Thursday. It was quite the celebration, with a Latino band playing and Vázquez’s parents flying in for the festivities. There were balloons featuring the logos of the three teams Vázquez has played for over his career -- Twins, Astros and Red Sox -- as well as a golden No. 10 to commemorate the moment.

“I was not expecting that. My wife, she’s in trouble,” Vázquez said, smiling. “It was a good one. We listen to that music at home at Christmas, so it was fun.”

The band, Pleneros de la 100x35, played several songs that had the clubhouse rocking and Vázquez dancing at different points. After all, 10 years in the big leagues is quite a feat that is reached by roughly 7% of players. Among the major perks is the player’s pension being fully vested.

“Very, very special day,” Vázquez said. “It’s a long ride, a long road. Lot of bumps in the ride, but we made it. Very humble, very thankful for this.”

Vázquez made his debut with the Red Sox on July 9, 2014. He stayed with Boston into the 2022 season, highlighted by being part of the 2018 World Series championship team.

Vázquez was traded to the Astros during the 2022 season, and helped Houston win the World Series later that year. He caught the Astros’ combined no-hitter in Game 4 of the World Series.

Vázquez then signed a three-year deal with the Twins before the 2023 season. Of late, Vázquez has emerged as one of the team’s hottest hitters. He is slashing .378/.429/.703 in the second half, a significant improvement compared to his first half numbers (.196/.218/.296).

“The last six weeks, he’s been one of our best hitters. It feels that way,” Twins manager Rocco Baldelli said. “He’s been very productive. He’s been hitting a lot of balls hard and he’s still catching the same way he always catches, which is very good. I don’t know any other way to say it, he’s been one of our best hitters over the last six weeks. What we’re getting out of him now, that’s real production.”

It’s that type of production that has kept Vázquez in the big leagues for 10 years. And it’s why Baldelli and the rest of the team enjoyed live music and some cookies during the pregame celebration recognizing Vázquez’s accomplishment.

“He’s already had an excellent Major League career,” Baldelli said. “He’s put in an incredible amount of work. He loves the game. He loves to play. You don’t get to this point in your career unless you want to be here. He’s sacrificed a lot, accomplished a lot and now he’s hit that big round number that everybody shoots for.

“We get to clap for him and eat his cookies and enjoy the [band] that was here playing in the clubhouse. It’s a good day. It means a lot to him and it makes us all feel good to be a part of it.”