The Minnesota Vikings’ rookies visited Target Field on Tuesday night for the Minnesota Twins’ American League game against the Tampa Bay Rays.

And in the words of one of the rookies: “That was scary.”

Not the baseball game, which ended in a 7-6 victory for the Twins, but the ceremonial first pitches by the Vikings’ 2024 first-round picks.

Neither J.J. McCarthy nor Dallas Turner got his throw anywhere near coach Tommy Watkins, who came out to catch the first pitches.

A quarterback from Michigan, McCarthy joined the Vikings as the 10th pick in the NFL Draft on April 25. Seven selections later, Minnesota took Turner, a linebacker from Alabama.

The Vikings traded four draft choices to move up six spots in the first round — sending the 23rd and 167th selections in this year’s draft and third- and fourth-round picks in the 2025 draft to the Jacksonville Jaguars – to obtain Turner.

Minnesota concluded its offseason program last week. The Vikings rookies report for training camp on July 21. Minnesota kicks off its three-game preseason schedule against the Las Vegas Raiders on Aug. 10 and begins the regular season against the New York Giants on Sept. 8.

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Mark Inabinett is a sports reporter for Alabama Media Group. Follow him on Twitter at @AMarkG1.