Twins announce plans for Opening Day at Target Field

The Minnesota Twins have announced plans for Opening Day, scheduled for 3:10 pm on Thursday, April 5 versus the Seattle Mariners at Target Field.

March 21st, 2018

MINNEAPOLIS-ST. PAUL, Minn. -- The Minnesota Twins have announced plans for Opening Day, scheduled for 3:10 pm on Thursday, April 5 versus the Seattle Mariners at Target Field. Limited tickets remain available for the home opening contest using the MLB Ballpark app, at twinsbaseball.com, by calling 612-33 TWINS (612-338-9467) or 800-33-TWINS (800-338-9467), or in person at the Target Field Box Office.
The Twins Opening Day plans feature a variety of honors and festivities, highlighted by the following:
• Ceremonial First Pitch -- Members from the 2018 Olympic Gold Medal-winning US Men's Curling Team will throw out the ceremonial first pitch. Curling Team members include Skip John Shuster from Chishom, MN, Vice-Skip Tyler George from Duluth, MN, Second Matt Hamilton from McFarland, WI, Lead John Landsteiner from Mapleton, MN and Alternate Joe Polo from Bemidji, MN.
• National Anthem -- Dessa is a rapper, singer, essayist, and proud member of the Minneapolis Doomtree collective. In 2016, she contributed a track to The Hamilton Mixtape (which reached #1 on the Billboard charts), and partnered with Izzy's Ice Cream to launch a flavor called Dessa's Existential Crunch. Dessa's third full-length album Chime (Doomtree Records) was listed by NPR as one of 2018's most anticipated albums. In March, she embarks on a world tour through the US, Europe, and Asia. As a writer, she's been published by The New York Times Magazine, broadcast by Minnesota Public Radio, published two literary collections of her own, and is set to release her first hardcover collection with Dutton Books in the fall of 2018.
The first 30,000 fans in attendance will receive a black Twins hooded sweatshirt (adult size M/XL/XXL) presented by Your Local Northland Ford Dealers. Fans are encouraged to arrive early with Target Field gates opening at 1 p.m. (2 hours before first pitch).
As is customary with Opening Day, the Twins are planning a day-long celebration to commemorate the start of a new season. A complete rundown of Opening Day events and activities is detailed below:
Thursday, April 5 - Twins vs. Mariners
• 6 to 9 am - Breakfast on the Plaza - Fans are invited to drive down 7th Street (adjacent to the Majestic Twins Clubhouse Store) and grab a free ballpark breakfast. Free food and beverages courtesy of Twins partners Sheboygan, Schweigert, Pan O' Gold, Caribou Coffee, Fisher, Trident, Pepsi and Old Dutch will also be available to bikers and pedestrians on the 7th Street side of Target Plaza. Additionally, fans will be able to take photos, enter to win tickets and even receive some of their free items from Twins alumni players.
• 12 Noon to 2:15 pm - DJ Advance will perform on the balcony overlooking Target Plaza.
• 1:00 pm - Gates open - Former Twins legends Bert Blyleven (Killebrew gate), Rod Carew, Tom Kelly, Tony Oliva and Kent Hrbek along with Kirby Puckett Jr. and Catherine Puckett will assist in officially opening the ballpark gates.
• The National Anthem will be performed by Dessa.
• The ceremonial first pitch will be thrown by 2018 Olympic Gold Medal-winning US Men's Curling Team.
• A flyover will feature four T-38s from the United States Air Force.
• Fireworks during team introductions.
• The IDS Building, Nicollet Mall, and Target Corporate Building will be lit in Twins colors the week of April 2nd while the Lowry Avenue Bridge will be lit April 4th and 5th, and the 35W Bridge will be lit April 5th.
On-field pregame ceremony will include, in this order:
• Both teams will be introduced along the foul lines.
• A giant American flag will be unfurled by Twins Season Ticket Holders.
• Challenger, sponsored by Thomson Reuters, will take flight during the National Anthem. He is a non-releasable Bald Eagle cared for by the non-profit American Eagle Foundation headquartered at Dollywood in Pigeon Forge, Tennessee. He is named in honor of the space shuttle crew. Challenger was blown from a wild nest as a baby during a storm, and was hand raised by the people who rescued him. Unfortunately, he experienced too much human contact at a very young age and became "humansocialized". As a result, Challenger thinks he's a person and cannot survive on his own in the wild. He is cared for by the American Eagle Foundation under federal and state permits for educational purposes. Acting as an ambassador for his species, Challenger has raised a great level of national public awareness about the need to restore and protect America's eagles, natural resources and environment.
• WWII Veteran Robert O'Connor will raise the American Flag. O'Connor entered the service after graduating from high school in 1944. He was deployed to the South Pacific (Philippines) in Feb. 1945. He was wounded twice. The first time he was hit by a mortar shell. The second time he was shot through the shoulder.
• Linda Higgins will raise the Hennepin County flag. Higgins joined the Hennepin County Board of Commissioners in November 2012. Before joining the County Board, Commissioner Higgins was the Minnesota State Senator from District 58, representing Downtown and North Minneapolis from 1997 to 2012. While a member of the Senate, she chaired the Public Safety Budget Division, State and Local Government, and Elections committees and served on the Capital Investment, Environment and Natural Resources, Finance, and Health and Human Services committees.
In-game elements include:
• "God Bless America" will be performed by TSGT Ryan Ringwelski. Technical Sergeant Ryan Ringwelski enlisted in the Minnesota Air National Guard in 2006. He has held multiple job duties, to include a wartime deployment to Southwest Asia. Sergeant Ringwelski currently serves at the Minnesota National Guard's Joint Force Headquarters as the Assistant to the Chief of Staff of the Minnesota Air National Guard.
• 2018 Olympic Gold Medal-winning US Men's Curling Team will be singing "Take Me Out to the Ballgame" during the seventh inning stretch.
Tickets Available
Season, group and single-game tickets for the remainder of the 2018 season at Target Field are available via the MLB Ballpark App, at twinsbaseball.com, by calling 612-33-TWINS (612-338-9467) or 800-33-TWINS (800-338-9467), or in-person at the Target Field Ticket Office.