Twins games offer younger spirit, stronger pull for fans at Target Field

The Twins would have a local telecast of an exhibition game around a week before breaking camp in Florida and make the dramatic announcement that once again the home opener at Target Field was a sellout.

The pandemic caused chaos that disrupted the 2020 and '21 seasons, and then carried over with a non-sellout of 35,462 for Seattle in April 2022.

There had not been a whisper from the Twins about a sellout of the 2023 home opener as they started the season with series at Kansas City and Miami.

One week out, team officials didn't feel they were going to make it, and there were still a few thousand tickets to sell when the announcement was made that the home opener would be moved from Thursday to Friday.

The sun came out, the temperature headed toward 50 degrees and 3,000-plus tickets were sold on game day to allow the Twins to announce a sellout of 38,465.

The weather was better on Saturday, the gameday sale was 6,300 and the announced attendance was 26,330. That compared with the 20,867 for the second game in 2022 — also a Saturday.

If you're one of those people claiming to be a loyal ticket buyer from the past who no longer will travel to downtown Minneapolis due to danger, you should understand this:

You are outnumbered by 10 younger people, single and/or couples, living downtown — or with friends living downtown — who are looking for something to do that includes entertainment.

And it says here, that in a period of 10 days, Major League Baseball's speed-up rules have made it safe for people in these groups to suggest:

"Let's go to the ballgame."

When the Twins announce a plan to sell a pass for $50 a month that will get the buyer into every game, we old-timers ask:

"How can they devalue the product in this manner?"

And then you walk out to the second-deck outdoor bar now called the Summit Brewing Pub and encounter Andy Devine, 29, and his fun-loving pack of friends.

Devine was raised as a diehard Twins fan by parents with season tickets at the Metrodome. He now lives downtown and possesses the $50 monthly pass.

"Yesterday was my birthday and we're having the party here today," Devine said. "The 30 people over there … that's our group."

What was the retail on the beer in Devine's right hand?

"Who cares what a beer costs?" he said. "I have the $50 pass. That's almost being here for free."

As part of baseball's younger crowd, what's your opinion on the pitch clock and the other speed-up rules?

"It is the best thing that ever has happened to the game," Devine said. "It is the greatest thing … 100 percent in favor.

"And my friends that are far more casual about baseball … they love it, too. When they look down, they are seeing action.

"It's going to be much easier to convince them to go a ballgame this summer."

Andy waved over his brother Kenny, who he described as even more of a Twins fanatic.

"He goes to 70 games a year," Devine said. "That huge apartment building going up behind left field … he wants to rent there, so he won't miss any, so he can see the field from his deck."

Kenny Devine said, "That's my life's dream."

A question asked on occasion: What are the Twins going to do when that building is finished and people are watching games for free?

Not a thing. The Pohlads and the Twins are fully in favor of having as many people living downtown as possible — especially young people, traveling in a group, looking for entertainment.

And baseball now can be an option without the fear of the nightly lament in the fifth or sixth innings, "This is going so slow … let's get out of here."

The Twins defeated Houston 9-6 on Saturday in an action-filled contest that took 2 hours, 27 minutes.

"Ten days into the season, Manager Baldelli, where do you rate the pitch clock among great inventions in Western civilization?"

Rocco smiled widely and said: "Eleven out of 10. Automatic Hall of Fame induction. Actually, that's not me, that's [bench coach] Jayce Tingler's quote. He also said, 'This is the greatest thing I've ever seen.'

"The game just keeps going, and we like that."

Yes, "we" do, including youthful residents of downtown Minneapolis.