(click on images once or twice to make them larger)
2024 – The Twins beat the Kansas City Royals in the Season Opener in Kansas City at Kauffman Stadium on by a score of 4-1, winning their second-straight Opening Day and fourth OD win in their last six seasons. Pablo López (1-0) was the starter and winner, pitching 7 scoreless innings, with one run allowed on four hits, no walks and seven strikeouts after allowing a lead-off home run in the bottom of the first inning to Maikel Garcia. It marked Pablo’s second-straight Opening Day start, becoming the 13th pitcher in club history (since 1961) to start back-to-back openers. After López allowed that leadoff home run to García, he retired 20 of the next 23 batters. He became just the second pitcher in Twins history to win back-to-back Season Openers on the road, the other being Frank Viola (1985 at CAL and ’96 at OAK). Brock Stewart earned a hold with a scoreless eighth and Griffin Jax earned a save with a scoreless ninth. Closer Jhoan Duran started the season on the IL. The offense recorded 10 hits, highlighted by Carlos Correa (3-for-4) and Royce Lewis (2-for-2). Lewis homered and singled before exiting in the third inning with a right quad strain that would put him on the IL two days later. Byron Buxton started the game in centerfield, his first in a regular season game since August 22, 2022 versus Texas, a span of 584 days in the field. Max Keper made his eighth career Opening Day start in right field (2017-24), matching Hall of Famer Tony Oliva (1964-71) for the most Opening Day starts at the position in Twins history (since 1961), ahead of Tom Brunansky (6), Matt Lawton (6) and Michael Cuddyer (5). A crowd of 38,775 attended the game with the temperature 65 degrees and sunny for the first pitch. Box Score
2020 – No Twins vs A’s game in Oakland today due to COVID-19
2019 – The earliest season opener in Twins history turns out to be a good one as the hometown Twins shut out the visiting Cleveland Indians 2-0 as Target Field began its tenth season. Twins starter Jose Berrios and Indians starter Corey Kluber had a real pitchers duel to start the game. Berrios and Kluber both had given up just a hit and a walk through six scoreless innings until the Twins finally pushed two runs across in the seventh inning on broken bat singles by Nelson Cruz and C.J. Cron before Marwin Gonzalez doubled them home for the only two runs of the game. Berrios retired the first two batters in the eighth but gave up a single and was immediately removed by manager Rocco Baldelli who was managing his first big league game as the youngest manager in MLB this season. Taylor Rogers recorded a four-out save with three strikeouts and the game was history in a snappy 2 hours and 18 minutes. The Twins and their sellout crowd of 39,519 fans were lucky that the game time temperature was cloudy and 49 degrees on a March 28th day in Minneapolis. Berrios set a Twins Opening Day strikeout record by whiffing ten Indians batters breaking the previous record of eight shared by Brad Radke, Bert Blyleven and Dean Chance. So the Twins 2019 season begins on a high note. Box Score
2011 – The Minnesota Twins announced that they have chosen leading demand-based pricing provider, Digonex Technologies, Inc., to provide demand-based (dynamic) pricing for some sections of Target Field for the 2011 season.
The Twins also announced that they have retained left-hander Scott Diamond, a Rule 5 Draft pick from the Atlanta Braves, working out a trade to send minor league right-hander Billy Bullock to Atlanta to complete the deal. Bullock never made it to the big leagues.
1996 – On the last day of training camp, Kirby Puckett wakes up and is unable to see out of his right eye. He was diagnosed with glaucoma, and four eye surgeries in a four-month span do nothing to improve his vision. Puckett hits .344 during his final spring training.
1992 – The Twins send first baseman Paul Sorrento to the Indians for pitchers Curt Leskanic and Oscar Munoz.
1983 – The Dodgers send outfielder Tack Wilson to Minnesota for shortstop Ivan “Bambi” Mesa. “Bambi” never had a chance to roam in the big leagues.
1973 – The Twins trade pitcher Ken Reynolds to Milwaukee and get third baseman Mike Ferraro in return. Neither Reynolds nor Ferraro actually played in any games for the Minnesota Twins.
1970 – The Greatest (Forgotten) Game Ever Played: MLB’s 1970 Exhibition to Honor MLK
More than 20 Hall of Famers suited up at Dodger Stadium on March 28, 1970 to honor the memory and support the causes of Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. Check out some of these links and see who the managers and coaches were, a real whose who of MLB. As you can see in the box score, Tony Oliva participated in the game but the other Twins player to be invited is still being researched.
The Greatest (Forgotten) Game Ever Played: MLB’s 1970 Exhibition to Honor MLK
A Landmark MLB Game That’s Largely Forgotten
1970 GAME HONORED LEGACY OF MARTIN LUTHER KING JR.
When baseball organized an early ‘All-Star’ game to remember Martin Luther King Jr.