Twins announce plans for 2024 home opener, presented by your local Northland Ford Dealers
MINNEAPOLIS-ST. PAUL, MN – With Major League Baseball returning to downtown Minneapolis in just 16 days, the defending American League Central Division champion Minnesota Twins today unveiled plans for the 2024 Home Opener at Target Field presented by Your Local Northland Ford Dealers – a daylong celebration on Thursday, April 4, culminating with a 3:10 first pitch against the Cleveland Guardians.
2024 Twins Home Opener tickets are available for purchase at twins.com, by calling 612-33-TWINS or 1-800-33-TWINS, or in-person at the Target Field Ticket Office.
Among the many highlights of the Twins’ 2024 Home Opener festivities:
Breakfast on the Plaza: The Twins’ tradition returns as fans are invited to drive, walk or bike down 7th Street (adjacent to the Twins New Era Team Store) between 6:00 and 9:00 a.m. to grab a free ballpark-inspired breakfast. Complimentary food and beverages will be available, courtesy of Twins partners Caribou Coffee, Cloverdale Foods, Delaware North, M&M’s, Sheboygan Sausage Company and Unilever. DJ Mad Mardigan will be spinning live on Target Plaza, while fans will also be able to hear live cut-ins from News Talk 830 WCCO and receive giveaways (while supplies last) from Bally Sports North, take photos and potentially win Home Opener and Opening Weekend tickets!
Open the Gates: Twins legends Tony Oliva (Gate 6) and Kent Hrbek (Gate 14) will open their namesake ballpark entrances at 1:00 p.m., while franchise icons Justin Morneau (Gate 3), Tom Kelly (Gate 6.5) and Dan Gladden (Gate 29), along with Kirby Puckett Jr. and Catherine Puckett (Gate 34), respectively, will also officially open the Target Field gates and welcome fans home for the 2024 season.
Opening Weekend Gate Giveaway: The first 10,000 fans through the gates for the April 4 Home Opener, as well as the Saturday, April 6 game, will receive a Twins Beanie, courtesy of Your Local Northland Ford Dealers. (Sunday, April 7 is “Kids Opening Day”, with the first 5,000 fans 12-and-under getting a Kids Twins Beanie.)
Celebrating 40 Years of Dick Bremer: The 2024 Home Opener will include a celebration of legendary broadcaster Dick Bremer, who stepped away from the booth following the 2023 season – his 40th as the television voice of the Twins – to become a special assistant with the club.
Dedication of TV Broadcast Booth (1:30 p.m.): The Twins will formally dedicate the home television broadcast booth in the Herb Carneal Press Box as the “Dick Bremer Broadcast Booth.” Beginning with that afternoon’s Home Opener, the call of every Twins home game at Target Field will originate from a booth bearing the name of the broadcaster who called that space home for the ballpark’s first 14 seasons.
Ceremonial First Pitch: Twins fans will have an opportunity to hear some of Bremer’s most memorable calls and to applaud the master storyteller, as he takes the field with his family prior to the game and delivers the Home Opener’s ceremonial first pitch.
Honoring Burnsville and Dakota County First Responders: The Twins will recognize, honor and celebrate the everyday heroism of Burnsville and Dakota County first responders, while paying tribute to the three individuals who tragically lost their lives in the line of duty on February 18.
A Special Starting Lineup: First responders from Dakota County and the City of Burnsville, along with representatives from the Minneapolis and Metro Transit Police Departments, and the Hennepin County Sheriff’s Office, will ring the infield and join the Twins and Guardians along the first and third baselines, respectively, following pregame introductions. These brave individuals will be accompanied by the joint Minnesota Police and Fire Bag Pipe Band.
In Memoriam: A video and moment of silence will pay tribute to Burnsville Police Officers Paul Elmstrand and Matthew Ruge, and Firefighter/Paramedic Adam Finseth, along with members of the Twins family and military from throughout Twins Territory that we have lost this past offseason.
Color Guard and American Flag: Representatives from Dakota County law enforcement and first responder agencies will raise the American flag inside gate Gate 34; will unfurl a second, giant American flag in the outfield; and will present the Home Opener colors on the field.
National Anthem: The Star-Spangled Banner will be performed by members of the Dakota Valley Symphony & Chorus, a Burnsville-based nonprofit volunteer arts organization with a mission to create and share a beautiful musical experience.
Flyover**:** The traditional Home Opener flyover will feature a C-130 H3 Hercules aircraft from the Minnesota National Guard’s St. Paul-based 133rd Airlift Wing.
A complete rundown of scheduled events as part of the Minnesota Twins 2024 Home Opener presented by Your Local Northland Ford Dealers:
Pregame Ceremonies (in order):
- Joining in the Home Opener spirit, a multitude of local buildings will be lit in Twins colors, including the IDS Building, the 35W Bridge and Allianz Field.
- Fans are invited to join the Twins for Breakfast on the Plaza (6:00 to 9:00 a.m.) and drive, walk or bike down 7th Street to grab a free ballpark breakfast, possibly win Twins Opening Weekend tickets, receive free giveaways (while supplies last) from Bally Sports North, and hear live music from DJ Mad Mardigan, along with cut-ins from News Talk 830 WCCO.
- Target Field’s gates will be officially opened for the 2024 season at 1:00 p.m.; Justin Morneau (Gate 3), Tony Oliva (Gate 6), Tom Kelly (Gate 6.5), Kent Hrbek (Gate 14), Dan Gladden (Gate 29), and Kirby Puckett Jr. and Catherine Puckett (Gate 34) will welcome Twins fans back to the ballpark.
- The first 10,000 fans in attendance will receive a Twins Beanie courtesy of Your Local Northland Ford Dealers.
- Both teams will be introduced along the foul lines, with on-field pyrotechnics accompanying the Twins’ Home Opener starting lineup.
- First responders from Dakota County and the City of Burnsville, along with representatives from the Minneapolis and Metro Transit Police Departments, and the Hennepin County Sheriff’s Office, will ring the infield and join the Twins and Guardians along the first and third baselines, respectively, following pregame introductions. These brave individuals will accompanied by the joint Minnesota Police and Fire Bag Pipe Band.
- An In Memoriam video and moment of silence will pay tribute to Burnsville Police Officers Paul Elmstrand and Matthew Ruge, and Firefighter/Paramedic Adam Finseth, along with members of the Twins family and military from throughout Twins Territory that we have lost this past offseason.
- Representatives from Dakota County law enforcement and first responder agencies will raise the American flag inside gate Gate 34; will unfurl a second, giant American flag in the outfield; and will present the Home Opener colors on the field.
- The National Anthem will be performed by members of the Dakota Valley Symphony & Chorus, a Burnsville-based, nonprofit volunteer arts organization.
- A flyover will feature a C-130 H3 Hercules aircraft from the Minnesota National Guard’s St. Paul-based 133rd Airlift Wing. The plane, which provides tactical air support to the state of Minnesota and the nation, will be piloted on the Home Opener by a six-man crew.
- The ceremonial first pitch will be thrown by legendary former television voice of Twins baseball Dick Bremer.
- The defending American League Central Division champion Twins face the Cleveland Guardians in the 2024 Home Opener, with a 3:10 p.m. first pitch.
In-Game Elements Will Include:
- 108 days (and 93 Twins games) before his July 21 induction, Twins legend and 2024 National Baseball Hall of Fame electee Joe Mauer will begin his “Countdown to Cooperstown” presented by Coordinated Business Systems. The Twins, along with Coordinated Business Systems owners Jim and Donna Oricchio, will also unveil a Countdown to Cooperstown counter on the third floor balcony of the club’s front office building in leftfield; the board will be changed following the top of the sixth inning of each home game leading up to induction day.
- “God Bless America” will be performed by Technical Sergeant Ben Churchill, a Services Specialist with the Minnesota National Guard’s 148th Fighter Wing, based out of Duluth.
- In celebration of the nonprofit organization’s 30 years of connecting students to their purpose, a group representing longtime Twins partner Project Success will lead Target Field in a rendition of “Take Me Out to the Ballgame.”
- Fans can enjoy an extensive menu of new food and beverage options and returning favorites.
The Twins extend special thanks to Home Opener presenting sponsor Your Local Northland Ford Dealers, along with partners Bally Sports North, Caribou Coffee, Cloverdale Foods, Coordinated Business Systems, Delaware North, M&M’s, News Talk 830 WCCO, Sheboygan Sausage Company, Total Transportation Company and Unilever, for their contributions to the day’s festivities.
Tickets Available
Season, group, Twins Pass and single-game tickets for the Home Opener and the remainder of the Twins’ 2024 regular season home schedule at Target Field are available via twins.com, by calling 612-33-TWINS or 1-800-33-TWINS, or in-person at the Target Field Ticket Office.