The last time Christian MacLeod was in the Twin Cities, he was nothing more than a tourist making the drive up from Cedar Rapids, Iowa, with his fiancé during last year’s All-Star break.

He enjoyed the sites, and couldn’t help but dream about making it his permanent baseball home. Sunday afternoon at CHS Field it became more of a reality for the left-handed starter, who made his Triple-A debut with the Saints in a 6-5 loss to the Columbus Clippers.

The 6-foot-4, 227-pound MacLeod, a fifth-round pick by the Twins in the 2021 draft out of Mississippi State, began the season at Class-A Cedar Rapids before being promoted to Double-A Wichita in July.

The 24-year-old Alabama native pitched five innings on Sunday, allowing five runs — four earned — on six hits. He walked one and struck out five.

“I think it went all right,” MacLeod said. “I made a few mistakes that I wish I could have back, but overall I just wanted to go out and compete and give us a chance to win. Again, a few pitches, a few plays I would like to have back but that’s all a part of it.

“Getting my feet wet was really important, and take it into next week.”

MacLeod’s dad, Kevin, was a 10th round draft pick by the Oakland A’s in 1987 as a left-handed pitcher and reached as high as Double-A. When the younger MacLeod found out on Thursday that he would be going up and starting the game on Sunday, he was excited to share the news with his dad.

“He was super pumped,” MacLeod said. “He was joking with me that he made it to Double-A, so he was like, ‘You beat me.’ But yeah, he’s been a big part of my career. I owe a lot to him.”

MacLeod’s fastball was around 89 miles per hour on Sunday. He said it ’s been “down a tick” of late, with it usually topping out at 92. Regardless, he relies on off-speed pitches to keep hitters off balance.

“My dad was a low-90s lefty, too,” MacLeod said. “He had the big curveball like I do.”

MacLeod missed the 2022 season after undergoing Tommy John surgery. He was injured after reporting to early camp in Fort Myers in January. It was a jolt to his system as he prepared for his first pro season. He bounced back with a 5-2 record in 16 starts last season and was a combined 3-3 in 12 starts this season before his start on Sunday.

MacLeod (0-1) gave up a two-run home run in the first inning but came back to strike out the side in the second.

The Clippers scored three runs in the fourth. Following a one-out single, MacLeod fielded a softly hit ball in front of the plate but threw wildly to first, putting runners on second and third. MacLeod retired the next batter before surrendering a two-run double.

The Clippers pushed another run across on a bunt single.

The Saints tied the game in their half of the first on second baseman Edouard Julien’s two-run home run, which extended his on-base streak to 36 games.

A two-run homer by Anthony Prato in the fifth cut the Saints’ deficit to 5-4. The Clippers added a run in the seventh on a solo home run off Ronny Henriquez.

The Saints pulled to within 6-5 in the eight inning on a solo home run by Chris Williams. Williams’ homer was the 44th of his Saints career, a franchise record.

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