Old Paradian Lewis Thorpe (2014) has fulfilled a childhood dream, completing his Major League Baseball debut in the United States.

Lewis turned out for the Minnesota Twins against the Chicago White Sox on Sunday, and although the White Sox prevailed 4-3, Thorpe’s debut - 5 innings, 5 hits, 2 runs, and 7 strikeouts – was auspicious.

Chris Schad, contributing to Minnesota supporters site Fansided, wrote that after Kyle Gibson pitched in the 17th inning of Thursday’s marathon game with the Tampa Bay Rays, “the Twins were in search for a spot starter to keep Gibson on schedule”.

“That starter turned out to be Lewis Thorpe, who pitched well in his major league debut,” Schad wrote. “The Australian threw five innings allowing two runs on a Yoan Moncada blast in the third inning while allowing five hits and striking out seven.”

As an Amateur, Lewis trained at the Melbourne Aces Baseball Academy and also competed in international youth baseball tournaments.

In 2011, the 23 year-old southpaw from the Southern Hemisphere earned the “Golden Arm” award from the Australian Baseball Federation. The following year, he signed with the Twins, receiving a substantial signing bonus.

Lewis’s stellar achievement was not lost on his facebook friends, amongst them his former teacher Joel Keane who posted: “I still remember you throwing objects from 60 yards into the bin. Brilliant”.

In response to the many well-wishers, Lewis replied: “Thankyou to everyone for reaching out and supporting me. This is a dream come true.”