Minnesota Twins pitcher Sean Poppen throws to a Boston Red Sox in the sixth inning of a baseball game Wednesday, June 19, 2019, in Minneapolis. Boston defeated the Twins 9-4 and Poppen made his MLB debut. (AP Photo/Andy Clayton- King)

MINNEAPOLIS — In need of a fresh arm after going 17 innings with the defending World Series champion Boston Red Sox the night before, the Minnesota Twins turned to Sean Poppen.

And he delivered.

Poppen, the grandson of Manson residents Marvin and Carolyn Poppen, made his major league debut here Wednesday night. He pitched four innings in a 9-4 loss to the Red Sox, but helped give the bullpen time to recover for upcoming games.

“The results were not exactly what you wanted, but also I felt like when I made good pitches, I definitely competed,” Poppen told “https://www.mlb.com/news/sean-poppen-major-league-debut” rel=”noopener” target=”_blank”>MLB.com after the game. “When I made bad pitches, they got hits or walks. So on the whole, as far as a debut is concerned, I feel confident. I know things to work on.”

Following the outing, the 25-year-old Poppen was optioned back to Triple-A Rochester, where he has gone 4-0 with a 1.55 earned run average in four starts.

The right-hander made the journey from Columbus, Ohio to Minnesota to help offer his services with his first promotion.

Poppen pitched the final four innings of the game, striking out two with four walks, five hits allowed and three earned runs. He did induce three double plays that the defense turned behind him.

“To really go out there and throw four innings for us, and going against a good lineup that’s going to make you work for every out, him going out and doing that really helps us in a lot of different ways,” Minnesota manager Rocco Baldelli said. “Our bullpen gets to reset now.

“It’s easier said than done to send a guy out there in that situation and just say, ‘Pitch and get outs.’ It doesn’t always work out where the guy gets through four innings for you, and he did, which was very nice.”

The first career strikeout for Poppen came in the seventh inning when he sat down Jackie Bradley Jr. swinging. He also recorded a strikeout of Sandy Leon in the eighth and had a perfect ninth, retiring all three batters he faced.

Poppen faced off against reigning American League MVP Mookie Betts among his 18 batters faced. He threw 70 pitches on the night, hitting 97 miles-per-hour with a sinker.

In 2016, the Twins selected Poppen in the 19th round out of Harvard University. He was a four-year starter for the Crimson, going 9-15 with 175 strikeouts in over 211 pitches.

Poppen, the son of Craig and Nancy Poppen, shined at Cape Henry Collegiate High School in Chesapeake, Virginia. He helped the team win two state championships and was a two-time first team all-state selection.

Before being promoted to Triple-A, Poppen made seven starts at Double-A Pensacola, where he went 2-3 with a 4.40 earned run average.

A video of Poppen’s first career strikeout can be viewed online at mlb.com/twins/news/sean-poppen-major-league-debut.