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2024 – A crowd of 35,595 are showed up at Target Field for the Twins 2024 Home Opener. It is their third opener of the season having done so in Kansas City and Milwaukee before finally coming home. It is a cloudy but dry 48 degrees at first pitch. Former Twins TV announcer (40 years) and now Twins ambassador Dick Bremer was honored pre-game and threw out the first pitch. The Twins lost to the Guardians at Target Field by a score of 4-2 as Minnesota dropped just their second Home Opener in the last eight seasons (also 2022). Pablo López was the starter and loser, allowing four runs (3 earned) on six hits in 5.2 innings pitched. The struggling Twins offense recorded seven hits, drew one walk, struck out 15 times and went 0-for-12 with runners in scoring position. Carlos Correa tied his season-high with three hits in four at-bats. Edouard Julien hit his first home run of the season with a fifth inning shot off Tanner Bibee. Alex Kirilloff has hit safely in all six games this season, hitting .409 (9-for-22) with a .440 on-base percentage, a .682 slugging percentage and a 1.122 OPS. He is one of three players in baseball to hit safely in all their games with an at-bat (minimum of 6 games), joining Jose Altuve (7) and Elly De La Cruz (6). Attendance was 35,595. Box Score
2023 – It was a pitchers duel today and when the final score was posted 1 hour and 57 minutes later the Marlins had a rare (now days) complete game 1-0 win behind starter and reigning NL Cy Young Award winner Sandy Alcantara. Twins hard luck loser Kenta Maeda (0-1) was the starter and loser, allowing just one run on three hits in 5 innings pitched, including nine strikeouts, the most by a Twins starter this season. It marked Maeda’s first appearance on a regular season major league mound since August 21, 2021, a span of 591 days, due to TJ surgery. Emilio Pagan (2) and Jovani Moran (1) pitched scoreless ball in the final three innings. The games lone run was scored on a second inning home run by Avisail Garcia. The offense recorded just three hits as Trevor Larnach reached twice, going 1-for-3 with a walk. Today’s game was the shortest 9-inning game for Minnesota since September 10, 2010 at Cleveland (also 1:57). Box Score
The Minnesota Twins have announced that their 2023 Home Opener game, scheduled for Thursday, April 6 at 3:10 p.m. against the Houston Astros at Target Field, has been postponed to Friday, April 7 due to the upcoming weather forecast, which calls for snow and cold temperatures Wednesday night into Thursday morning, followed by sunshine and 50 degrees on Friday.
2021 – The Twins beat the Milwaukee Brewers at American Family Field by a score of 8-2, winning the series two games to one. Michael Pineda was the starter going five shutout innings with four hits allowed, one unearned run, two walks and five strikeouts while recoding his first win in 2021. Pineda and three Twins relievers limited the Brewers to five hits. The batters recorded 11 hits as Luis Arraez reached base five times (3 hits and 2 walks) and Mitch Garver reached three times (2 hits and 1 walk). Garver and Miguel Sanó each homered for the first time this season. The 2-1 Twins are off to Detroit to take on the Tigers. Box Score
2020 – The game between the Twins and Oakland A’s at Target Field has been postponed due to COVID-19. Nine games missed thus far.
2019 – No Game Today – CLEAR, the secure identity company using biometrics to build a frictionless and secure world, announced today three new Major League Baseball (MLB) club partnerships and the expansion of its innovative Biometric Ticketing (BT) solution at additional stadiums across the U.S.
New stadiums added to the CLEAR network for the 2019 MLB season are Globe Life Park, home to the Texas Rangers, Target Field, home to the Minnesota Twins, and Oriole Park at Camden Yards, home to the Baltimore Orioles. CLEAR’s identity platform is now used by 18 MLB, National Basketball Association (NBA), National Football League (NFL), and Major League Soccer (MLS) teams to make the game day experience safer and easier for fans. To read the rest of the article go here.
2018 – The Twins beat the Pirates at PNC Park by a score of 7-3. Jake Odorizzi was the starter but did not factor into the decision, allowing three runs on five hits in 4.1 innings pitched, the bullpen combined for 4.2 innings of scoreless relief. Miguel Sano was 3 for 5 with a double, scored twice and knocked in two. Eduardo Escobar was 2 for 3 with two doubles, two RBI and one run scored. Taylor Rogers was credited with the win. First pitch temperature was 37 degrees with 21 mph winds and snow flurries off and on the entire game. Box Score
2016 – The Twins open play for 2016 in the Charm City at Oriole Park at Camden Yards in front of a wonderful crowd of 45,785 baseball fans on a 58 degree day with rain in the forecast. Chris Tillman starts for the home team and Ervin Santana goes for the visiting Twins. The game was delayed 1 hour and 40 minutes before first pitch during dry weather and then unfortunately the game was started just before the precipitation hit. Both starting pitchers pitched two scoreless innings in the rain before another delay was called, this one lasted 1 hour and 10 minutes and when the game was finally resumed both starters had called it a day as did about half of the sellout crowd. So it turned into a bullpen game and Baltimore scored two in the bottom of the fifth off Twins reliever Casey Fien. The Twins tied it up in the seventh with two of their own off Mychal Givens. The game then remained scoreless until the bottom of the ninth. Kevin Jepsen retired Manny Machado and Adam Jones and then walked Chris Davis. Mark Trumbo then singled for his fourth hit of the day putting runners at the corners with Matt Wieters coming up. Wieters singled on the first pitch he saw from Jepsen and the Orioles walk-off the Twins 3-2 giving the Twins their eighth consecutive Opening game loss. Jepsen got the loss and Zack Britton got the win. The Twins were out hit 10 to 7 and were 1 for 6 with RISP. Joe Mauer and Eduardo Escobar led the Twins attack with two hits each. Box Score
2006 – Minnesota opened the new season on the road in Toronto, Canada in front of a huge crowd of 50,449 excited baseball fans where the Blue Jays are 22-8 in Home Openers. The fans had high expectations for a great game because the starters were Roy Halladay for Toronto and Johan Santana for Minnesota and they were not disappointed. The Twins took a quick 1-0 lead on a Rondel White Sac Fly that scored Shannon Stewart who had singled to leadoff the game. The Twins only lead of the game would not last long however; as the Blue Jays scored 3 times in the fourth on a Sac Fly and a two-run home run by Bengie Molina who seems to have Santana’s number. When the Jays went up 4-1 in sixth, things looked dim but the Twins came back with a run in the seventh on a Tony Batista home run and scored again in the next inning on a Shannon Stewart home run but that was it and the Blue Jays were 6-3 winners. The Twins were out hit 14 to 5 in the game. Santana took the loss with 5.2 innings of work allowing 4 runs on 10 hits. Halladay got the win as he lasted 7.2 innings allowing 3 runs, 2 earned on 5 hits. Stewart was 3 for 4 for Minnesota with a home run and 2 runs scored and Batista was 1 for 3 with a home run. Considering all the hits it was a quick 2 hour 37 minute game. Box Score
2005 – The Twins open the new season in Seattle’s Safeco Field as they go for their fourth straight division title. Brad Radke makes his ninth OD start tying a club record and 42-year old Jamie Moyer gives it a go for Seattle. A Rich Sexson three-run blast off Radke puts the Mariners up right off the bat and that is all the Mariners would need in a 5-1 win over the Twins. Each team gets five hits bit the mariners make better use of theirs. No one for Minnesota gets more than one hit and Jason Bartlett uses his to get the teams only RBI. Radke gets the loss with 7 innings of work giving up 5 runs, 4 earned on 5 hits. Sexson had a big day for Seattle getting all 5 RBI with his two home runs and Jamie Moyer gets the win. 46,249 fans got to watch a quick 2 hour and 22 minute game. Box Score
2003 – After three wins in Detroit to open the season the Twins come home to play their 2003 home opener against the visiting Toronto Blue Jays with a crowd of 48,617 looking for some good baseball. They didn’t find it at the Metrodome that day. The Twins send Rick Reed to the mound and Toronto goes with Tanyon Sturtze. The Twins played poorly and Sturtze had them eating out of his hand. Jacques Jones led off the Twins first with a single and the Twins didn’t get another hit until the sixth inning. The Twins actually scored their first run without the benefit of a hit in the fifth. Reed (0-1) gave up three solo home runs and left after six innings having allowed 4 runs on 6 hits and took the loss. The Twins had 5 hits and Doug Mientkiewicz had two of them, a home run and a double and the lone RBI in the Twins 7-2 loss. Box Score
1990 – No game today. Due to the lockout by MLB, today’s game has been rescheduled for July 11.
In off the field news, the Twins receive pitcher Orlando Lind and catcher Junior Ortiz from the Pirates in return for pitcher Mike Pomeranz. Pomeranz was a news anchor at Minneapolis TV station KARE 11 from 2006 to 2012 before leaving for a gig with the San Diego Padres.
1989 – Forty-five-year-old Tommy John starts for the Yankees on Opening Day at the Metrodome and sets a modern ML record by appearing in his 26th season. An OD crowd of 52,394 pack the Dome to see the seasons first game. He also wins his 287th game, 4-2 over the Twins. John will only win one more big league game before calling it quits. Twins go 1 for 9 with RISP. Box Score
1982 – The Twins play the Cincinnati Reds in the final of two exhibition games before the 1982 Season opens for real on April 6. Only 10,099 baseball fans showed up for the game that saw the Reds beat the Twins 11-8.
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1972 – The 1972 Baseball Strike, the first strike in Major League Baseball history continues.
1968 – Martin Luther King Jr. was assassinated in Memphis, Tennessee.
