OTD In 2010, Target Field Hosted Its First Official Game

It seems hard to believe but Target Field is entering its 15th season as the home of Twins baseball. The team played its last game at the wonderful HHH Metrodome in 2009, while the Vikings played inside the Dome until the end of the 2013 season.

After a college baseball game on March 28th, 2010 and a couple of exhibition Twins games against the St. Louis Cardinals on April 2nd and 3rd, the park was ready for showtime on Monday, April 12th.

I saved every penny and called in several favors to be able to buy partial season tickets for that first season. We had tickets in Section 324 and I remember being mesmerized with the Minneapolis skyline replacing the big white curtain as the view beyond the fence.

The Twins played against the Boston Red Sox and the weather cooperated for a beautiful, sunny 65 degree afternoon in downtown Minneapolis.

The game went well for the Twins as well, as they beat the Red Sox 5-2 behind a Jason Kubel home run, three hits from reigning MVP Joe Mauer and a solid pitching performance from Carl Pavano.

The 2010 season turned out to be a good one with the Twins winning 94 games before being swept by the Yankees in the playoffs, as is tradition. Sadly, the 2011-2018 seasons were largely forgettable.

While the stadium has undergone some renovations since 2010 including a new video board, a LED pillar in right field and a seemingly constant shuffling of the seating areas in center and right field, it remains largely the same as when it was built.