We are headed west, for good this time, after a few north-south ventures. The Minnesota Twins are the only baseball stop this week, giving us the opportunity to add a few side stories from the trip. We’re going to take the long way home from here, so the next two weeks will not have a game story but instead take a closer look at ballparks we have visited to date (Week 12) and then nothing but National Park reviews (Week 13).

Game #29: Cubs versus Twins at Target Field in Minneapolis, July 8

When the Twins (formerly Senators) moved from Washington DC in 1961, there was a vast untapped market west of the Mississippi River. Only the Giants and Dodgers had moved west at that point. Even though teams have since been added in Oakland (now Sacramento), Kansas City, Seattle, San Diego, Denver and Phoenix – the Twins are still very much a regional team. We went on a stadium tour before the game, and fans on the tour were from North Dakota, South Dakota and Montana. When they come to Minneapolis to watch baseball at Target Field, they make a week of it. It’s more than one game, and it’s more than just baseball. On the rail ride after the game, we overheard out-of-town fans comparing notes about what they were doing while in Minneapolis (shopping, horse races), and which of the games the rest of the week they were attending.

“I started attending Twins games when they came in ’61,” said Mark Wilson, a Twins season ticket holder since Target Field opened in 2010. “I became a baseball fan right away.” Wilson was 9 years old in 1961. “I went to the first two games of the 1965 World Series.” The Twins beat the Dodgers in both of those games, defeating Don Drysdale and Sandy Koufax. The only reason he didn’t go to the final two games – Games 6 & 7 – is that his dad sold the tickets. The Twins weren’t able to touch Koufax after Game 2. The Dodger ace pitched a 2-0 shutout with 10 strikeouts in Game 7.

The Twins greats from the ‘60s included Harmon Killebrew, Rod Carew, Tony Oliva and Jim Kaat. Still, seeing the Twins defeat Dodger greats Drysdale and Koufax is not the World Series highlight for Wilson. “My favorite Twins World Series moment is Game 6 of the 1991 World Series against the Braves when Kirby Puckett told the team to ride his shoulders.” The Twins were down 3 games to 2 at the time. Puckett made a spectacular catch in the third inning to keep the Braves from scoring at least one run, then hit a walk-off homer in the 11th inning to force a seventh game. Jack Morris pitched a 10-inning complete game in the Twins 1-0 win for the title. It is considered by many – including yours truly (I put it just ahead of the 1975 World Series) – as the greatest World Series ever with three extra-inning games and five one-run games. Side note: Morris threw 122 pitches in that 10-inning shutout. How many managers in today’s pitch-count-happy-world would have the guts to keep him out there? Kent Hrbek and Chuck Knoblauch were other key starters that year for the Twins.

“The Twins ownership doesn’t spend much money,” Wilson said. “And, despite that, they still won two World Series championships. It’s fun.” The Twins also won the title in 1987. Both of those World Series wins were in the Metrodome, which, like all domed stadiums, was a horrible place to watch baseball games – although it may have offered some home field advantages. Even some locals are still convinced the Twins were involved in shenanigans during playoff games involving the opening and closing of doors and/or windows in “The Dome” that benefited Twin hitters. The Metrodome has long since been demolished, and the new stadium – Target Field – is a source of much pride among fans, club personnel and even the local TV weatherman. “I like how packed it is. Everything is close together. It reminds me of Camden Yards in Baltimore.” Wilson said. “Did you know Target Field has the second smallest footprint of any stadium except Boston?” (I did not know that.) I did know that it has earned LEED Platinum certification and is known as the “Greenest Ballpark in America.”

Game atmosphere: Positive

The Twins should be fined. They were not “Minnesota nice” to the visiting Chicago Cubs. And such behavior with so many Cubs fans in the house! Things initially did not look good for the Twins. They were facing Cub lefty Shota Imanaga (2.78 ERA), and the Twins lost their last seven games against left-handers. But sterling outfield defense, coupled with a pair of doubles down the left field line in the first inning, gave the Twins a 2-0 lead that they clinged to for seven innings. Cubs fans made up almost half the crowd. One fan behind us said early in the game that if he wasn’t watching the action, he couldn’t tell based on the noise of the crowd if something good was happening or something bad was happening for the Twins. “There are too many Cubs fans here,” he muttered more than once. There was often groaning and clapping happening at the same time when a batter from either team swung and missed. At one point, the video board tried a “Let’s go Twins” prompt but the result was “Let’s go TcWuIbNsS! Let’s go TcWuIbNsS! Let’s go TcWuIbNsS!” They didn’t try that one again.

In the eighth inning the Cubs threatened with a leadoff single followed by a walk. Reliever Griffin Jax struck out the next two batters swinging, and a line out ended the threat. The Twins faithful let the visiting fans know whose house they were in. It was as if every Twins fan cheered twice as loud as usual just to make a point. And they were just getting started. The bottom of the eighth was a slaughter, with Twins fans getting louder with each run scored and the Cubs fans getting quieter. Here’s how the inning played out: walk, home run, home run, double, wild pitch, single, home run. The pitcher was finally taken out after he got his first out, a strike out, and after giving up six runs to make it 8-0. Cubs third baseman Jon Berti finished the inning. It was the fourth time this trip that we’ve seen a position player as the last pitcher of the game for his team. The Cubs added a meaningless run in the ninth.

Kudos to Twins Production intern Katie Stewart and Sam Henschen, senior director of game day experience, for their work on player notes that are posted on the scoreboard when each player comes up to bat. The notes were a nice combination of informative, interesting and sometimes irreverent details. I enjoyed reading them, and they were a step up from most ballparks that bore us with the player’s current OPS or some freakish statistical anomaly such as the player has reached a hit in his last three Tuesday games. Here are some samples from Stewart and Henschen:

Dansby Swanson­ – His first name is actually James. Dansby is his mother’s maiden name

• Bryce Lewis – His sister is his personal stylist on game days
• Ty France – Says the worst part about first base is having to run towards foul balls because it’s extra cardio
• Pete Crow-Armstrong – Wonder if PCA owns a PSA-10 PCA card? Let us know ASAP.

I particularly like that last one, realizing that nine out of 10 fans won’t get it, but the one out of 10 that does will truly appreciate it. I do this sometimes with song lyrics or titles, weaving them into the stories as Easter eggs, knowing it’s for the enjoyment of a chosen few. Allow me to explain the last one for the 90 percent. Pete Crow-Armstrong is nicknamed “PCA” by Cubs fans, each letter corresponding to his initials. A PSA-10 card is a baseball card that has been professionally graded as being in gem mint condition, the highest rating a card can have. PSA is a company called Professional Sports Authenticators, the leader in the industry for grading cards.

Target, which has its roots in the Minneapolis area, has the naming rights to both Target Field (baseball) and the Target Center (basketball) next door. I guess negotiating for the naming rights to one of the Twin cities fell through (Targetapolis or Saint Target). Besides the team’s name of Twins, there are two other tributes to the Twin cities of Minneapolis and Saint Paul. One is the Twins logo itself which features an interlocking T and C, standing for Twin Cities. Another is a nod to the club’s heritage with a remake of a celebration sign from the ‘60s showing the “Minnie and Paul” characters shaking hands across the Mississippi River. This is featured prominently in center field and lights up when things go well for the Twins.

The team provided a tour for us, and on that excursion we learned that the Champions Club seats (field level, padded seats behind home plate) cost up to $24,000 per season but include access to a climate-controlled area where you can enjoy all-you-can-eat prime rib; Champions Club seats are hard to find on the secondary market unless you look at day games. Day games are usually uncomfortably hot. We checked and, yes, a day game Champions Club seat was available for $490; and tour guide Dennis Sundlie heard it from a friend who heard it from a friend who heard it from another that Jorge Polanco, who played for the Twins from 2014 to 2023, was spotted at a stadium ATM before a game, getting cash before dashing back to the clubhouse. All but two of the 30 stadiums are now cashless, so there are no longer ATMs at the ballpark. Except by the player’s clubhouse. Because they still need it allegedly for their in-house card games. Card-playing is a player tradition that goes back to the days of travel by train. I suspect the stakes are higher now.

A few other Target Field notes: There was a mascot race with five Minnesota-based characters whose identities escaped me. I did note that Louie won. … It has a great view of the Minneapolis downtown skyline … The Metro Light Rail conveniently ends right next to the stadium. … Winnebago Industries sponsors an interactive area just beyond right field that features mini golf, cornhole, and lawn chairs. It’s like an indoor tailgate section called the Gate 34 area, conveniently located next to Kramarczuk’s Sausage Company and Drafts of 34 which features 22 different local craft beers … Gate 34 is developed to be family friendly, perhaps at the expense of an actual children’s play area. The kids area at Target Field is very small and limited. Most parks have an interactive baseball area where children can run, hit and pitch. Such an area probably got axed in the planning stages in order to keep the stadium footprint small.

Ballpark cuisine: Positive

What do we look for at the ballparks when we peruse the concession areas? First, something already identified by others as the best thing offered. Second, some kind of unusual take on traditional ballpark food. Finally, something that is available to everyone at the park. Food in preferred seating areas does not count. Food in an on-site, sit-down restaurant doesn’t count unless there is a to-go option. At Target Field there were multiple options in every category. We had to come back a second day to finish the task. Seriously. The team gave us additional access to come back the next night.

First on the list: Kramarczuk’s Brat Sampler. Kramarczuk’s Sausage Company has been part of the Minneapolis food scene for 60 years. In the sampler you get two half brats of three varieties – Polish sausage, bratwurst, and cheddar sausage – with plenty of caramelized onions and sauerkraut. It was filling enough that we couldn’t try any other food even if we wanted to. These were tailgate-worthy brats. Fresh, grilled and mighty tasty.

On our second day at the ballpark, we had to try the Vinai Sweet and Sour Fried Pork at the Truly on Deck restaurant in right field. Truly on Deck is a premium space, but it is open to everyone. And you can get your food order to go. Tour guide Sundlie recommended a strategy using Truly on Deck, particularly on hot days or when your tickets aren’t that great. Come to Truly on Deck, sit in the seats overlooking right field, and stay for the duration of the game, having your soft drink refilled throughout the action. There is a $5 seat charge, and you have to spend at least $20 on food and drink. Strategy aside, let’s get back to the Sweet and Sour Fried Pork. Eathan Ishmael, one of the Truly on Deck’s chefs, said the key to the dish is its simplicity. “There are so few ingredients, but it is so good,” he said. “Crunchy on the outside, soft in the middle. And presented really well.” Besides the crispy fried pork butt, ingredients include cabbage slaw, cucumbers, pickled carrots, and an amazing sweet-and-sour sauce by Vinai that pulls it all together. Absolutely loved this. It will likely crack the Top 5 for the trip. Vinai is a Minneapolis restaurant that opened just last year.

Chef Ishmael talked us into getting the Homestand Burger at Truly on Deck. We did not regret it. They put together a new specialty hamburger for each homestand, and for this homestand the burger included two 4 oz. beef patties, candied bacon, sweet and spicy fig aioli, and arugula cheese on a brioche bun. I’m a big fan of the double-double at In-N-Out Burger, and I am a recent convert to the Double Deluxe at Culver’s. As good as those burgers are, this Homestand Burger was in a totally different class. Lisa rated highly the Bobby Flay burger at Yankee Stadium, and she also liked this one better. The key was the sweet and spicy fig aioli. It tied everything together, giving a lasting comfort with every bite.

Can you get out of Target Field without trying a Dugout Dill slice of pizza? (See more on this below under “You don’t see that every day.”) Another delight for your palette is the deep-fried Oreos (five Oreos in each order) sold by Curds and Cakes on the second level. This one requires no description.

And there is so much more: grilled SPAM sandwiches at Truly on Deck, hot Indian rice bowls at Hot Indian Foods, smoked beef sandwiches at Murray’s, and an 18-inch quesadilla called the Machete at Taco Libre. And Boba! You should probably be like those folks from North Dakota when you come to Target Field – plan to stay a few days.

Smile for the camera! Photo: Nina Zimmerman.

Club hospitality: Positive

Your attention please, allow us to introduce to you the latest addition to the club representative All-Star team, and the current captain, Nina Zimmerman! Nina reigns. Nina is the communications manager for the Twins, and she went well beyond “Minnesota nice.” She is the first contact to send us Game Notes for both the home and visiting teams. (Most clubs find it difficult or an inconvenience just to send their own Game Notes.) She is the first one to set us up with seats in a premium section (padded seats in the Thrivent Section, on the second level behind home plate). She is only the second contact to make a point of meeting us personally. She is only the second contact to arrange for a tour of the ballpark for us. And then there is that live TV interview she set up with the Minneapolis FOX affiliate, as seen earlier this week on LoCO. Judging by the level of texting and messages we’ve received from all parts of the country after that interview, it seems LoCO followers prefer watching something to reading about it. The other club representative All-Star team members are Josh Lederman of the NY Mets (former team captain), Tabitha Labrato of the Rays, Karely Avila Ledesma of the Braves, Darren Feeney of the Padres, and Sam Stack of the Guardians. Nina is the one who told us about “Minnesota nice,” saying “If we’re not Minnesota nice, we get fined.”

Game details: Twins wins 8-1. Attendance 30,384. Time of game: 2:22.

Helpful tips: There is plenty of parking in Target Field garages for $25. Or in city surface lots for $15. If you have the time and would prefer to spend $4 instead, take the Metro Light Rail from the Mall of America. Parking at the mall is free and each way to Target Field will cost $2, or $1 for seniors. But it takes 42 minutes of travel time each way. If it’s a night game, use the Park and Ride, the last stop before the mall. Otherwise the mall might be locked by the time you get there, making for a rather circuitous route to your car. … Bag policy – Target Field reluctantly still allows people to bring in bags. They strongly encourage that you don’t bring a bag. Perhaps they will join Detroit in future seasons as the only teams that do not allow you to bring in a bag. For now, you can still bring in bags, including soft-sided coolers, that are 16”x16”x8” or smaller. Backpacks are not allowed. … Sealed, bottled water of 32 oz. or less are allowed. You can also bring in outside food, as long as it is not in a hard-sided container such as Tupperware.

You don’t see that every day: Pickles on pizza. It’s offered at Pizza Luce on the second level of Target Field. The sauce is a creamy ranch dill sauce instead of traditional tomato-based sauce. There are two layers of mozzarella cheese and large pickle chips. “It’s a Minnesota thing,” said pizza fan Ben Raschke. “Pickle Pizza won an award at the Minnesota State Fair three years ago. People love it. People stood in 100-degree heat for an hour and a half to get it at the state fair. I know because I was one of them.” We have it on good authority that it is good, briny, garlicky and cheesy – a Minnesota cult classic.

Past Noteworthy Items: Part Two

With just one game this week, we are supplementing the story with a few noteworthy things that didn’t make the previous summaries.

Rain, Rain, Go Away

A worry when planning this trip was that a game might be postponed due to rain, and we would have no way to make it up, thwarting our goal of seeing all 30 ballparks in one summer. There were plenty of storm systems in the east and Great Lakes regions during our trip, but our schedule somehow managed to play out. Three games (Pittsburgh, NY Mets, and Detroit) had delayed starts due to rain, one was suspended after six innings (Cincinnati) and completed the next day, and one was completed after midnight following a rain delay of more than two hours (Washington). There was also a tornado warning (Pittsburgh) and a flash flood warning (Washington DC). And one game was postponed the day after we were there (St. Louis).

What, no curb?

We alluded to this incident in Week Eight of “Sprinting Across America.” Some parking lots are easier to park in than others with a 20-foot long, 10-feet high vehicle. Our strategy has been to back in to a space, preferably an end space so that only one vehicle is next to us, making it easier to pull out. In the parking lot in Washington DC, we backed into our spot at one end of the lot. The back-up camera did not show anything in the way, but there was also no wall to use as a reference. And no curb for the wheels to touch against. I successfully parked. Or so I thought. The back wheels were hanging off the edge toward a ditch, with nothing for the wheels to grip. We called Triple-A and since it was the day before the big parade, various road closures would keep them from arriving for an hour. Fortunately, a fellow motorist with a heavy-duty truck who wanted to show off its tow capability teamed up with a fireman from the station across the street who had a heavy chain. The chain connected the two vehicles, and a little tug from the truck got the Sprinter wheels to come up just enough to grab the asphalt, and we were free and clear!

Are you small? No, I’m tall!

The various GPS apps do not take into account the height of your vehicle. Next trip I will likely invest in an RV GPS app ($$) to avoid complications like this one. We left Citi Field in New York, and began our drive to Connecticut where we would stay the night before heading to Fenway Park the next day in Boston. As we approached the Hutchinson River Parkway (The Hutch), signs warned of a height restriction of 10-feet, 2 inches. Our Sprinter is 10-feet, 3 inches. We took the last exit before the parkway, and tried a different route. It also wanted to take The Hutch. Every alternative route we selected on GPS went through The Hutch. We pulled into a 7-Eleven parking lot. I went in and made a general announcement to everyone in the store, “Can anyone tell us how to get to Boston without taking the Hutchinson Parkway?” A lady checking out told us the freeway to take. “How do we get to there?” I asked. She began to give directions, but realized it would be too complicated. “I’m going there,” she said. “Just follow me.” And we did. Thank you, friendly New Yorkers!

Foul play

There have been three significant game-used baseballs that have landed near us during the trip. One we documented in Week Six of this series. (The Anaheim woman who got hit in the head with a foul ball.) At the Brewers game on June 29, another foul ball almost had the same head-hunting fate. With the retractable roof partially open, the mix of stadium lights and natural light made it difficult to track the ball when the batter hit pop-ups. One ball was fouled off in our general direction, and I totally lost it. No one around us budged, but the fans not too far from us could see it from a different angle and increased their volume of concern. BAM – it hit an empty seat two seats from mine. No one had seen it in our row, the row behind us or in front of us. It ricocheted off the seat and hit a guy in the shoulder who was sitting in the row in front of it.

The last baseball story has a happy ending. Juan Soto of the Mets caught the final out of the top of the third on June 14 and tossed the ball into the stands. Lo and behold – after being knocked around by some other fans, it landed at my feet. Not an impressive foul-ball, barehanded catch. But a nice souvenir, nonetheless.

Tom Trepiak is the former sports information director at Humboldt State and a member of the Cal Poly Humboldt Athletics Hall of Fame.