Patriotism celebrated at Target Field

MINNEAPOLIS -- With a special salute to the military and mascot T.C. sporting a beard and star-spangled top hat, mimicking the likeness of Uncle Sam, the Twins celebrated the Fourth of July in Thursday's series finale with the Yankees at Target Field.

Both New York and Minnesota sported special hats with stars filling in their respective logos. The Twins' wore a white hat with a red bill, featuring stars filling in the T.C. initials. The Yankees wore gray caps with a black bill.

Prior to the national anthem, all current military personnel and veterans in the crowd were asked to stand and receive recognition for their service, and the Target Field crowd greeted them with a lengthy ovation.

The Twins kicked off the holiday celebration on Wednesday night with a postgame fireworks display for the sellout crowd.

Just before the teams took the field on Thursday, fans were treated to Fourth of July-themed highlight reels from Wednesday night's game and Kyle Gibson's victorious Major League debut, as well as the Twins' introduction video.