Tag: American League

My second of 30 ballparks brought me to Target Field, home of the Minnesota Twins, for an interleague meeting with the St. Louis Cardinals, dollar hot dogs and a whole lot of sunshine.

Game Day Conditions

The Twins game was only about one month after our inaugural road trip to Cincinnati, but the weather was about as different as possible … sunny, hot, barely a cloud in the sky, what most people probably think of as baseball weather. However, after a long winter that overstayed its welcome well into mid-April, this game marked the first time this year I spent multiple consecutive hours in the sun.

Game time was 80 degrees, and the temperature reached the upper 80s, which I would not have guessed for a May game in Minnesota. I wasn’t quite in midsummer form for tolerating the sun and accompanying heat (and by the looks of all the fans flocking to guest services for free sunscreen and a little shade, I was not the only one).

Note: Although it’s not right on the river, Target Field is the only other baseball stadium (the other being my home team’s ballpark, Busch Stadium) that’s in an MLB town on the Mississippi, so I felt like I had something in common with Twins fans.

Game Day (May 16, 2018)

My brother and I had driven to the Twin Cities area the night before the Wednesday afternoon game, so we had a (relatively) short drive to the ballpark on game day. No Uber for us this time … we navigated our way to Target Field ourselves (well, with the help of Waze).

There are parking garages conveniently located right around the stadium. Did I struggle with figuring out how to get into them, drive past the entrances a few times times and start to freak out a little? Sure. But that doesn’t mean they aren’t convenient. Plus, we got a few cool views of the ballpark as I drove somewhat aimlessly around it.

Once we finally parked (at the very top of one of the garages), we made our way down to ground level and crossed the street to the stadium.

Target Field is unlike any ballpark I have ever seen, and I’m still not certain whether that’s a good thing or a bad thing. It kind of looks like someone is launching a missile off its roof (more so in the photos than in person), and with all that limestone, it doesn’t really scream baseball to me.

Regardless of whether or not the building itself looks like a baseball stadium, fans are treated to plenty of baseball history as they make their way to the entrance.

The Twins’ World Series, American League and division championship banners caught our eyes as we walked toward the stadium, so we took a brief detour to see what they were all about. The banners on the stadium to the left of (what I would call) the main entrance made their way clockwise around the building in chronological order.

I took a minute to mourn the Cardinals’ 1987 World Series loss to the Twins from the year before I was born, which I mentioned in my Target Field preview.

But I bounced back quickly when I saw the Kent Hrbek statue … not because I recognized Hrbek (I didn’t) but because I clearly enjoy posing with statues.

And yes, I realize Hrbek helped the Twins win the World Series at my team’s expense and that I basically (unintentionally) look like a cheerleader hanging out with him, but I don’t really have strong feelings about the Twins, and I’m all for getting lost in baseball history, regardless of the team (although I can maybe think of one exception).

After the Hrbek detour, I got distracted by this street banner of the game’s starting pitcher, Lance Lynn … mostly because I appreciate him as a former Cardinal and goofball and a little bit because he was struggling going into the start and would maybe be what the Redbirds needed to get back on track. (Sorry, Lance.)

My brother and I then made our way back to where we started and to what I would call the front of Target Field. Unlike our first ballpark (Great American Ball Park with the Reds Hall of Fame and Museum), the Twins do not have a museum, at least not in building form. They do, however, proudly display their history outside the ballpark in an area called Target Plaza, but more on that later.

We entered Gate 34 (named after Twins Hall of Famer Kirby Puckett) from the Target Plaza area. Security was quick. We were there early, and there wasn’t much of a crowd at that point. (Gates open 90 minutes before the game Monday through Thursday and  two hours prior to the game on Friday through Sunday.)

Once inside, we explored a little and made our way to our section (126), which happened to be where the Cardinals were stretching and signing autographs. Batting practice was over, but we probably still could have gotten autographs if we tried.

I have to give a shoutout to pitcher Michael Wacha, who stuck around to sign autographs for pretty much every fan who asked. What a guy. (Side note, so many Molina shirts.)

We then made our way to the dugout, which doesn’t have quite as much character as Cincinnati’s but still offers nice views of the ballpark. We chose the third base side, which is the away team dugout.

After our dugout stop, we walked around the concourse some more, checked out the team store and took photos from about every angle of the stadium. (And unlike our first ballpark adventure, this time, we took advantage of the escalator.)

To me, the two best views are looking out at the Minneapolis skyline and looking in toward home plate. (I think skyline views in ballparks are always some of the coolest features, and this one is no exception.)

My absolute favorite feature of the ballpark (and the one that to me, feels like it screams baseball) is this old-timey image of Minneapolis and St. Paul shaking hands over the Mississippi River that sits atop the stadium in center field. (I think I mostly like that it is both vintage-looking and geographically accurate in that the Mississippi does in fact separate the Twin Cities … plus, the whole friendship thing. Adorable.)

Once the game started, we stopped exploring and stayed in our seats (other than to make a few trips to the concession stand and Guest Service Center.) Again, I’m not much of a roamer when there is baseball to watch.

The day’s menu? Dollar hot dogs and bottled water. And with all that money I saved on my $1 dog (because the Twins have $1 hot dogs every Wednesday in 2018), I was able to splurge on this Chocolate Malt Cup … which I guess is technically malt-flavored ice cream rather than actual malt? I’m no expert. Either way, it was delicious, and so was my hot dog. Plus, the frozen treat was fantastic on one of the first steamy days of the summer.

During the game, we enjoyed some between-innings entertainment from the Twins mascot (T.C. Bear) and a race by an odd assortment of misfits, which included the Target dog.

The yellow one (above) was so far ahead that you can’t even see the other runners (below) in the same photo.

Between all the entertainment and snacking, I managed to secure my second passport stamp for my MLB GameDay Pass-Port book. Unfortunately, I forgot the book at home (and I couldn’t find any in the team store), but the lady at the guest services booth stamped a random Twins business card for me. Problem solved.

Plus, I got my second first-time visitor certificate of the season. I picked it up before the game on the upper level. Unlike the Reds, the Twins staff does not print a custom certificate and instead, hands you a colorful blank certificate for you to fill in later. While this was slightly more eye-catching than the plain Reds one, I preferred the custom printed, official-looking Reds certificate.

(I also got a free Twins magazine with a scorecard and other info that I admittedly still haven’t read.)

Game Highlights

It wasn’t pretty, but the Redbirds came away with a 7-5 win in a game that lasted just shy of four hours. (I had no idea the game was that long until I looked up the duration weeks later. It was over an hour longer than our previous game, but I actually prefer the longer games when I’m visiting a new stadium.)

As predicted, Lynn wasn’t sharp, but neither was Cardinals starter Miles Mikolas. Both pitchers had early exits, and the game was decided by the bullpen. Bud Norris got the save, and flamethrower Jordan Hicks picked up his second win of the season.

Game Summary

Target Plaza

As I mentioned earlier, the Twins don’t have a traditional museum, but they make great use of the area outside the ballpark with Target Plaza. If you’re in the Minneapolis area, I suggest you visit. It’s basically a free outdoor museum, featuring the Twins Hall of Fame, year-by-year rosters, several statues and one of my personal favorites, this giant glove.

I also highly enjoyed the Kirby Puckett statue and accompanying quotes from the 10-time MLB All-Star and Hall of Famer. (I loved reading quotes for all the statues. That was one of my favorite parts of Target Plaza.)

As good as the first quote is, this next one might be my 5-foot-0 self’s new quote to live by.

There are other statues as well, including this Twins ball.

And I couldn’t pass up a photo opportunity with the Twins mascot, T.C. Bear. (I wouldn’t have been able to tell you their mascot was a bear before this game.)

Our last stop in Target Plaza was the Twins Hall of Fame, which spans the bridge across I-394.

After the game, we sought out some food (and more importantly, air conditioning) at The Loon Cafe, just a few blocks east of the ballpark.

I had a Southwest turkey sandwich, and my brother had a grilled skinless cajun chicken breast sandwich. Mine was OK, but I’m still jealous of his beautiful chicken sandwich (below). The Loon, as I’ll now call it, is heavy on the Twins theming, and it’s known for its chili, which is served at Target Field.

Two Down, 28 to Go

Overall, Target Field offered up a great baseball experience. Was it the most unique or charming baseball experience of all time? Probably not. Did it check all the boxes for a great game day experience? I’d say so. To me, the inside of the park is more impressive than the physical appearance of the ballpark from the outside, but Target Plaza truly feels like baseball.

Target Plaza is 100 percent worth the (free) experience. Go. I can’t say that enough. Even if you’re not going to a game, just walk around and take in the Twins history … FOR FREE. But if you’re in the area anyway, I also recommend you catch a game … and eat a hot dog, especially if it’s a dollar dog Wednesday.

Check back for a full Target Field photo gallery and for my adventures to other Twin Cities destinations, including the Mall of America. (When in Minnesota, am I right?)

Shoutout to two of my great friends (and their adorable daughters), who let us stay at their place throughout the trip. I appreciate it a whole lot and miss you guys. Thanks for hosting.