Shea Spitzbarth was shagging fly balls during batting practice Monday in Milwaukee’s American Family Field when he heard a familiar voice holler, “Spitz.”

He’s been hearing that name all his life, but to hear it in a major-league outfield while he was wearing a major-league jersey (one that says Pirates) was something special.

He turned around, and a baseball went behind his head, yanking him back to reality.

“You gotta watch out,” one of his new Pittsburgh Pirates teammates said.

The voice that distracted him came from Spitzbarth’s uncle, who made the trip from Florida to watch his nephew realize a dream that was a long time coming. His parents were there, too, after arriving from Staten Island, N.Y. They were sitting next to the Pirates’ dugout, but he didn’t see them until after he had pitched in the latter innings of a 6-2 loss to the Brewers.

“He was breaking down,” Spitzbarth said of his uncle. “He had tears in his eyes. I had tears in my eyes.”

The tears started flowing Sunday in Saint Paul, Minn., where Spitzbarth was pitching for Triple-A Indianapolis.

Manager Brian Esposito called Spitzbarth out of the bullpen, giving him the telltale instruction, “Grab your glove.”

“Oh, man. This is going to be it. This is going to be it,” he told himself as he walked through the outfield to the dugout, guarding his secret.

“(Esposito) had a smile on his face. I just knew right then. He gave me a big hug and said, ‘You have an 8 o’clock flight (Monday). Call your family.’

“I just started breaking down in the dugout. All the guys were giving me hugs and high fives. It was awesome.”

Before this season, Spitzbarth, 26, almost had reached the point of giving up on his dream. He started pitching for Division II Molloy (N.Y.) College in 2013, earning a business degree. He was not drafted, but the Los Angeles Dodgers signed him as a free agent in 2015. He kept moving him from Double-A to Triple A — but no higher.

During the pandemic last summer, he pitched a few innings for the Butchy’s Heat team in the Mid-Island Men’s League in Staten Island.

“It was around the block,” he said.

Opponents and teammates were “plumbers, firemen, cops, garbage men, college kids, too,” he said. “At-bats are at-bats. Pitches are pitches.”

But it was almost time to set aside the glove and cleats and put that business degree to use.

“To be honest, it was either this or next year, I said to myself. I gave myself one more year to reach the big leagues.”

Previously, in 2017, he contemplated taking the New York Firefighters Test — he comes from a family of firemen, some of whom served during 9/11 — but missed the exam to finish up the Arizona Fall League schedule. He also contemplated becoming a Port Authority policeman, but he got the denial letter Saturday — one day before the Pirates offered a better deal. Monday, he actually put out baseball’s version of a fire, retiring the Brewers after they had scored three runs in the seventh inning.

Spitzbarth became Pirates property when they selected him last year in the minor-league version of the Rule 5 Draft. He ended up in Indianapolis with a new pitch (a splitter) and new grip on his curveball.

Suddenly, his 8.18 ERA in Triple-Oklahoma City in 2019 was a distant memory. He compiled a 1.41 ERA and 3-2 record in Indianapolis before the Pirates called him to replace Chad Kuhl, who went on the covid illness list Monday.

“I shouldn’t be here. This is impossible,” he said, looking back on all those years in the minors and independent ball. “A lot of hard work and dedication. It’s not just me. It’s family. It’s friends. It’s coaches, teammates who helped me along the way, trainers along the way.”

He also credits the “new scenery” the Pirates provided.

“It just gave me a whole new jolt,” he said. “Going to a team that wants me.”

The only hiccup is, one day, he might have to pitch against his beloved New York Mets. He comes from a family of Mets fans, and he was named after the team’s former home, Shea Stadium.

“It was supposed to be the Mets,” he said of how he envisioned the dream. “But I’m happy as hell to be a Pirate.

“Just being part of baseball is cool.”

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