MINNEAPOLIS -- At 8:46 p.m., all of the simulated crowd noise at Target Field suddenly went silent.

All three large video boards at the ballpark turned black, showing only "8:46,” representing the 8 minutes, 46 seconds during which a Minneapolis police officer pressed his knee to George Floyd's neck on May 25, ending Floyd's life. Moments later, the scoreboard above the left-field bleachers changed to the image of a large mural depicting Floyd's name and likeness. Cardinals left-hander Austin Gomber stepped off the mound and removed his cap, as did every St. Louis defender on the field at that point in Tuesday’s game between the Twins and Cardinals. Minnesota first-base coach Tommy Watkins stepped out of his box and took a knee. Mitch Garver took several steps back from the right-handed batter's box and removed his helmet.

Together, they all joined in a moment of silence in Floyd's memory.

"Just being out there and having thoughts about things that we haven't taken enough time to think about and ponder," Twins manager Rocco Baldelli said. "So it was very special. It's not something that, like I said, you do very often. And we should. It definitely draws your attention to something other than baseball for a minute, and it was the right time to do so, in my opinion."

The Twins put together an evening full of meaningful moments in which the organization recognized Floyd's life -- along with the talents of members of the Black community in the Twin Cities -- before the first pitch was thrown in Tuesday’s home opener. It marked the first baseball game at Target Field since Floyd's death made Minneapolis the focal point of the intensified national conversation regarding racial injustice and inequality.

During the pregame ceremony, the Twins displayed a large picture of Floyd on the scoreboard at the conclusion of a memorial video for lives lost in the organization's extended family during the past year. On the large right-field wall, two new banners displayed the messages, "Black Lives Matter" and "Justice for George Floyd." The Twins also played the video created by The Players Alliance in support of the Black Lives Matter movement.

With the Cardinals lined up along the third-base line and the Twins facing them from the first-base line, the Twins preceded the national anthem with a performance of "Lift Every Voice and Sing.” Often referred to as the Black national anthem, it was sung by Sounds of Blackness, a three-time Grammy Award-winning ensemble based in the Twin Cities.

As a recorded rendition of the national anthem by Gospel artist and North Minneapolis native Jovonta Patton was played moments later, eight Twins players and coaches took a knee, led by Baldelli.

That was the backdrop for that poignant moment of silence in the bottom of the fifth inning, when baseball willingly took a backseat to the greater issue at hand.

"Everyone felt something in that moment," Baldelli said. "We got to see a lot before the game and experience a lot. It's interesting being out there on the field and actually being there, taking part in it, seeing the video, listening to people's words. Thinking."

Earlier this summer, Twins owner Jim Pohlad and his family foundation committed $25 million to racial justice, with the stated goal of rebuilding impacted communities in the Twin Cities and pushing for long-term structural change in coordination with local government and community leaders.