The last time that Twins fans were able to watch their home-town team play ball in-person at Target Field was back on October 7, 2019. That was the day their beloved Bomba Squad was sent packing from the American League playoffs when they were swept by the New York Yankees three games to zip in the ALDS. Their starting pitcher that day was Jake Odorizzi. Sergio Romo and Trevor May pitched in relief and the only run they scored in the 5-1 loss was a home run hit by right-fielder Eddie Rosario. When Twins fans sadly filed out of Target Field that day little did they know that they would not be able to watch another game in person at Target Field for another 548 days. It will not be until April 8, 2021 when the Twins host the Seattle Mariners in their Home Opener that Twins fans will again be able to cheer on their Twins. All the players named above will be playing for other teams.
Yes, there was baseball played in 2020 but for many fans it was not the same game. The season started on July 24 and it was just 60 games long, double-headers were seven-inning affairs, extra-inning games started with a runner on second base, roster sizes were increased, players could opt out of playing in 2020, everyone used the designated hitter, sixteen teams made the playoffs, schedules were totally different to limit travel and the only teams the Twins played were the White Sox, Indians, Royals, Tigers, Reds, Cubs, Cardinals, Brewers and the Pirates. And last, but most importantly, there were no fans in the stands at any MLB games in 2020.
That is what a pandemic like COVID-19 can do to the game we all love. It seems like the only consistent thing we saw from MLB in 2020 was that the Twins made the playoffs and again were swept out of the playoffs losing their 17th and 18th games in a row, a new record.
The last time they have won a playoff game was on October 5, 2004 when they beat the New York Yankees 2-0 and Johan Santana garnered the win. The last time they won a playoff series was in 2002 during Ron Gardenhire‘s first season as the Twins skipper when they beat Oakland three games to two with Brad Radke winning two of the three games.
But yesterday the Twins announced that there will be fans in the stands for Minnesota Twins games in 2021 just like for all other MLB teams but the numbers of fans in the stands for MLB teams will vary by state regulations as we all continue to get vaccinated in hopes of getting herd immunity and getting our lives back to some semblance of normalcy.
The Minnesota Twins, in collaboration with Major League Baseball (MLB), Minnesota Governor Tim Walz, the Minnesota Department of Health (MDH) and the City of Minneapolis, announced today that the club has received approval to welcome fans back to Target Field for the 2021 season, beginning with the April 8 home opener at a maximum capacity of 10,000.
Things will be far from what we might consider normal at a Minnesota Twins baseball game at Target Field but a limited number of fans will be able to attend baseball games in person. With a limit of 10,000 fans per game to start, tickets will be hard to get unless you are a season ticket holder. There will be lots of other changes too as you will be able to see in the PDF below. I am sure things will change as we get closer to that first game.
Twins fans have missed watching their team play at Target Field in person and I have heard more than just a couple of fans say that they might purchase season tickets just so they have a chance to catch a couple of games. The 2021 baseball season will be interesting for many, many reasons, we will just have to see how it all plays out. I am all for hearing them say Play Ball!