Twins announce plans for 2020 home opener, presented by your local Northland Ford Dealers

MINNEAPOLIS-ST. PAUL, MN – Baseball is back! The Minnesota Twins today announced plans for their 2020 Home Opener at Target Field, presented by Your Local Northland Ford Dealers, which is scheduled for 7:10 p.m. on Tuesday, July 28 against the St. Louis Cardinals. With fans not at the ballpark, the Twins, in partnership with FOX Sports North and the Treasure Island Baseball Network, will deliver all of the festivities and excitement unique to the Home Opener directly to fans across Twins Territory.

As the defending American League Central Division champion Twins play the first home game of the club’s 60th season in Minnesota, the team will pay tribute to these unprecedented and tumultuous times. Pregame ceremonies will memorialize those who have lost their lives to COVID-19, recognize the health care heroes working on the front lines of the ongoing pandemic, honor the memory of George Floyd and join with Major League Baseball to be united for change.

All pregame elements will be pre-recorded using proper safety protocols. These ceremonies include:

• Ceremonial First Pitch – Honoring Frontline Health Care Workers: As we continue to grapple with the COVID-19 pandemic, the Twins will spotlight the real stars of our community by shining the light on our true starting lineup – nine representatives of those bravely and selflessly working on the front lines of health care. A video tribute will feature Berhane Gebre-Egziabher (an environmental services staff member at Hennepin County Medical Center), Catherine Gonzalez-Klang (an interpreter at HCMC), Richard Gray (a doctor at HCMC), Sophia Kim (a doctor at North Memorial Health Hospital), Dee Matara (a registered nurse at Methodist Hospital), Andrew Olson (a hospitalist at M Health Fairview Bethesda Hospital), Laurie Taylor (a lab technician at Lakeview Hospital), Vanessa Tschetter (an ICU nurse at M Health Fairview Ridges Hospital) and Kalia Vang (a progressive care nurse at Regions Hospital) – each of whom will join together in throwing out the ceremonial first pitch of the 2020 Minnesota Twins home season.
• Anthems: The Twins’ 2020 Home Opener will feature the playing of both the “Star-Spangled Banner” and “Lift Every Voice and Sing,” the Black national anthem. The Star-Spangled Banner will be performed by North Minneapolis native and chart-topping Gospel artist Jovonta Patton. The founder of Twin Cities-based community choir Deliverance for Youth, Patton became the first independent Gospel artist to have a No. 1 album on Billboard and has topped the charts four times. Fellow Minneapolis artists and three-time Grammy Award-winning Sounds of Blackness will perform Lift Every Voice and Sing. Since 1971, Sounds of Blackness and director Gary Hines have delivered uplifting messages of hope, unity, love and peace for humankind, while working passionately to achieve them.
• In Memoriam: Prior to each season’s Home Opener, the Twins share an in memoriam video and hold a moment of silence to remember those in the Major League Baseball family and Minnesota military whom we have lost during the offseason. This year’s remembrance will also honor the memory of Twins minor leaguer Ryan Costello (the team will also wear a patch in his honor for the Home Opener), those in Twins Territory who have died from COVID-19 and George Floyd. The Twins will also display tribute signage throughout the season on the third and fourth floor balconies of the Target Field Executive Offices honoring those we have lost due to COVID-19.
• Black Lives Matter: The Twins share in our community’s heartbreak and sadness over the tragic and senseless death of George Floyd on May 25. The team will honor his memory at the 2020 Home Opener by unveiling a memorial graphic on the outfield wall that will remain in place throughout the season, and through an in-game moment of silence at 8:46 p.m. CDT. Additionally, the Twins will join all of Major League Baseball in an ongoing partnership with The Players Alliance – the recently-formed nonprofit organization led by Curtis Granderson, CC Sabathia and Edwin Jackson – to be allies and active participants in social change. Specific to the 2020 Home Opener, the Twins will share a message from The Players Alliance focused on support of the Black Lives Matter movement.
• 60 Seasons of Minnesota Twins Baseball: The 2020 season marks the Twins’ 60th in Minnesota. In salute to the generations of terrific players and wonderful memories that paved the way for this year’s Bomba Squad, the Home Opener will feature that greatest of baseball traditions – a game of catch among six decades of Twins, via video. Two players from each decade of Minnesota Twins baseball will be featured, culminating with a member of the 2020 team receiving the final toss to begin the 60th season in Twins Territory.
• American Flag Raising: World War II veteran Alvin Donahoo of Spring Park, Minnesota, who is 101 years young, will be the virtual “American flag raiser” as part of the Salute to America presented by Thomson Reuters. Alvin was born in November of 1918 in Moravia, Iowa, went on to earn a Ph.D. from the University of Minnesota and joined the United States Navy in 1942 after Pearl Harbor. He took part in the Normandy Invasion as a Lieutenant on an LCT (Landing Craft Tank) Flotilla 4 Unit that eventually lost around 400 men on Utah Beach. Lieutenant Donahoo stayed on the Normandy beach from D-Day to Thanksgiving, directly feeding a pipeline of supplies to General Patton’s army to drive through France to the German border, which then turned to victory.
• Flyover: Pending final approval, the traditional home opener flyover will feature two C-130s from the Minnesota Air National Guard’s 133rd Airlift Wing, based out of Minneapolis.

In-game elements of the 2020 Home Opener are scheduled to include the following:

• Moment of Silence: The game will pause at 8:46 p.m. CDT for a moment of silence for George Floyd, who lost his life on May 25 after having his neck compressed by an officer for eight minutes and 46 seconds.
• 7th inning Stretch and God Bless America: Twins mascot T.C. will lead a virtual singalong of “Take Me Out to the Ballgame.” Also during the 7th inning stretch, Staff Sergeant Jeffrey Nicholls will perform “God Bless America.” Born in Duluth, Minnesota, SSG Nicholls enlisted with the Minnesota National Guard in 2000, was deployed in 2004 in support of Operation Iraqi Freedom III and has served full-time since 2011, earning several awards for his service – including the Army Commendation Medal with four oak leaf clusters.

The Twins will also engage those in Minneapolis and throughout Twins Territory through a variety of remote activities, leading up to and throughout the July 28 Home Opener.

• Light It Up: Joining in the celebration of baseball’s return, a multitude of local buildings will be lit in Twins colors at various points throughout the week of July 27: The IDS Building, the Lowry Avenue Bridge, the 35W Bridge, Target Plaza South and U.S. Bank Stadium.
• Twins Social Media: No matter your platform of choice – Facebook, Twitter, Instagram, Snapchat or TikTok – Twins social media is the place to connect and engage with the team and fans, during the Home Opener and throughout the 2020 season.
• Target Field Fan Mosaic: The Home Opener is slated to be the probable debut of a 53 feet high by 38 feet, seven inches wide, printed photo mosaic featuring the likenesses of more than 3,000 Twins fans. The completed mosaic will cover section 331 of the U.S. Bank Home Run Porch.
• Season Ticket Holders on FOX Sports North and TIBN: As will happen during every broadcast of the 2020 season, the Home Opener will feature select Twins Season Ticket Holders showcasing their own personality and message on both FOX Sports North and across the Treasure Island Baseball Network.
• MLB Ballpark App: The Twins’ digital fan efforts are among the most robust in Major League Baseball, with five different experiences available in the MLB Ballpark app: Twingo, Pick 3, Twins Trivia, Essential Partners Passport and Ask T.C. (also available on twinsbaseball.com, Google Assistant and Apple Business Chat).