With the bat in his hands and the pitcher in his line of sight, Rene Tosoni felt all the pre-game jitters melt away.

For a brief moment the 24-year-old rookie Minnesota Twins outfielder didn't think about his surroundings or feel the energy that a crowd of 44,000 people can generate when a new player comes up for his first-ever major league at bat.

Amongst the crowd were his wife and family, embracing their own butterflies in the midst of such a dream-come-true moment.

For the player, this was the moment. How do you tune out those first sights and sounds of a major league debut, and rein in the nervous adrenalin that has built up over years of planning, training and persevering?

As he's done nearly 1,300 times in the minor leagues, Tosoni stepped into the batter's box and promptly lined a single that brought his team to its feet and gave the hometown fans an occasion to cheer.

"I remember stepping up to the plate and (Tampa Bay's) catcher said 'Go get a hit,'" Tosoni recalled of that April 28 day game in Minneapolis in an exclusive interview with The NOW. "The next time I came up to bat he told me that was it, he wasn't on my side anymore."

Welcome to the big leagues. The next challenge for the six-foot, left-handed bat is staying there.

In less than two weeks, the Port Coquitlam native will pack a suitcase and leave his Arizona home for Florida, where he'll make his case at the Minnesota Twins spring training camp.

While a return to Triple-A, where Tosoni started last year, is expected, the battle for depth behind Denard Span, Josh Willingham and Ben Revere creates an opportunity that appears wide open.

Having a good camp would be a good way to follow an incredible 2011, a year that began with his wedding to high school sweetheart Whitney Jenner, the birth of a nephew and the purchase of a new home. It also included an invitation to Minnesota's main camp, where he made a good impression and became a candidate to be called up when the injuries started to occur.

Getting to The Show had been the goal ever since he could jack a fastball beyond an outfielder's reach. After he was drafted in the 36th round of the 2005 MLB amateur draft, the 'dream' was what kept him working and training year-round, why every spring he'd leave family and friends behind and slid onto a team bus week after week, staying doubledand tripled-up in roadside motels.

Sure, many would say getting paid to play a game wasn't a real job. But it was work, often with its share of aches and pains. In the minors he earned his share of good bounces and suffered bad breaks - including a season-ending injury. But that at-bat last April was the payoff.

"What most people don't know is before my first big league at-bat I made my first big league error," he recalled of that first game. "By the time I picked up the bat I had completely forgotten about it, because your adrenalin's going so fast."

He finished his debut with two singles and an RBI off eventual 2011 American League rookie of the year Jeremy Hellickson. Due to injuries, he proceeded to play 60 games, locking in for 22 RBIs and five home runs behind a .203 batting average.

Although his batting average reflected his rookie status, a closer look reveals someone who is athletic with a nose for the clutch hit.

On July 3, Tosoni delivered a clutch three-run homer off 2009 Cy Young winner Zack Greinke in a come-from-behind victory. It led to a six-for-19 stretch for the left fielder over the next five games, at which point he was returned to Rochester.

Bringing a simple, familiar approach to the plate was the success to every hit, he noted. Especially the first one.

"With that first at bat I was just looking for a hit, that's how you want to start off your year," he said. "[Justin] Morneau told me that [Hellickson] has a good changeup and he's not afraid to throw it. For that big at-bat you want to drive a fastball hard but I had changeup in my mind, that's what he threw me and I made contact and pulled it to left field."

The camaraderie and friendliness of his Twins teammates was something he had already been exposed to during the previous spring training. What surprised him was the support from players from the opposite dugout, like words of encouragement from both the Rays' catcher and first baseman, upon getting that first hit.

"When you make your [MLB] debut you don't expect everyone to notice but it seemed even when I was walking to the plate their was this extra energy. They announce your name and everyone knows its your first at-bat. You can feel people pulling for you."

His first home run came in his 30 th official at-bat against Detroit's Rick Porcello, and was followed by four others. Tosoni also earned a spot in the team record books when he became the first Twin to hit a grand slam in Target Field history - Minnesota's home park that opened in 2010 - on Sept. 27 off Kansas City's Vin Mazzaro.

Tosoni got to absorb so much from spending time in the dugout and on the road with Twins like Jim Thome, Michael Cuddyer, Joe Mauer and fellow Canadian Morneau.

In all, he was called up four times and played 60 games for the Twins - finishing the season in Minnesota. The team struggled to post its worst record in 30 years, thanks to a number of injuries to key players. But when players like Mauer, Morneau and outfielder Delmon Young went down, it opened the doors for others.

"The injury factor is often how you get opportunity - in the minors I've been injured and others have had a chance. That's how it works," Tosoni said. "It was a tough year but when you don't have Mauer, Morneau, Young in [the lineup] that makes it pretty tough."

In his first 13-game stint, the club won just three times. The next time up, Tosoni helped the Twins win three straight, including an 8-1 win over eventual AL champion Texas.

With an array of highlights that he could hang his hat on, Tosoni realizes that it's a whole new ball game when he reports to spring training in Fort Myers, Fl.

The competition for a spot on the 25-man roster is going to be a battle. Considering he has had just half a season at the Triple-A level, the 24-year-old could be considered a longshot to be with the team come April 6 when they open the season in Baltimore.

In the meantime, he continues to hone his game and work on all the things that will help him earn another shot.

"In the minor leagues, if you want a home run you swing harder, but in the majors the last thing I thought about was a home run," he recalled. "You just went up there to make contact and have a good at bat. I'm working on driving the ball to left [field] a little more, and get good contact. If you don't put the ball in play you won't get a chance to play."

sports@thenownews.com