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Minnesota Twins closer Fernando Rodney leaves game early to finalize U.S. citizenship

'After 19 years in this wonderful country today I am blessed to say that I am an official US Citizen,' wrote Rodney on Monday.

The Minnesota Twins raised some eyebrows Sunday when they brought Fernando Rodney into the game in the fifth inning, an unconventional spot for a closer who had not pitched that early in a game in more than a dozen years.

Then, in an Instagram post Monday, Rodney revealed the reason behind his early appearance: He had to travel to Miami that afternoon to finalize his U.S. citizenship.

"After 19 years in this wonderful country today I am blessed to say that I am an official US Citizen," Rodney wrote in the post. "Today I fly the American Flag but in my heart always hold my Dominican Flag. I want to thank all those who have been with me throughout the process and especially thank the @twins organizations for allowing me to catch my flight."

After 19 years in this wonderful country today I am blessed to say that I am an official US Citizen. Today I fly the American Flag but in my heart always hold my Dominican Flag. I want to thank all those who have been with me throughout the process and especially thank the @twins organizations for allowing me to catch my flight. Big thanks to the @tigers who made this dream possible 19 years ago. #USA #USCIS #bluepassport #dominicanamerican @mlb @mlb_dr

A post shared by Fernando Rodney (@fernandorodney3635) on

Amid speculation that the Twins were trying to showcase Rodney for a trade or using an unusual mid-game strategy, Twins manager Paul Molitor explained after the game that the 41-year-old had to catch a flight to Miami for an immigration hearing Monday morning. It wasn't until Monday that Rodney revealed the hearing was the final step in his journey to citizenship.

Rodney only faced two Tampa Bay Rays hitters Sunday, striking out Carlos Gomez before inducing an inning-ending groundout from Mallex Smith, but the Twins later rallied to an 11-7 win.

"It worked out pretty well because he got a couple of really big outs," Molitor said, according to The Minneapolis Star Tribune.

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