The Minnesota Twins announced today that Opening Day 2019, scheduled for 3:10 p.m. on Thursday, March 28 versus the Cleveland Indians at Target Field, is a sellout.
Tickets are available for the remainder of the series, March 30 and 31 (both at 1:10 p.m.) and can be purchased 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. Fans still hoping to attend Opening Day are encouraged to check back this evening or tomorrow, as limited inventory may become available.
Since the opening of Target Field in 2010, the Twins have drawn 351,982 fans on nine home opener dates for an average crowd of 39,109. The March 28th home opener, which is the earliest ever for the Minnesota Twins, will be the 162nd sellout in Target Field history.
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, March 28 – Twins vs. Indians
· 6 to 9 a.m. – Breakfast on the Plaza – Fans are invited to drive, walk or bike down 7th Street (adjacent to the Majestic Twins Clubhouse Store) and grab a free ballpark breakfast. Complementary food and beverages will be available, courtesy of Twins partners Schweigert™, Sheboygan, Caribou Coffee, Chick-Fil-A, Fisher Nuts, Old Dutch, Mauer Sports Nutrition and Pepsi. Additionally, fans will be able to take photos, enter to win tickets, receive gift cards from Supercuts and hear a live broadcast of the WCCO Morning News with Dave Lee.
· 1:00 p.m. – Gates open – Twins legends Tony Oliva and Kent Hrbek will open their namesake ballpark entrances, joining Casey Killebrew (Harmon’s grandson) at Gate #3, franchise icon Tom Kelly at Gate 29, along with Kirby Puckett, Jr. and Catherine Puckett at Gate 34, to assist in officially opening the Target Field gates and welcoming fans for the 2019 season.
· Local vendors in the food, beverage and retail space, all hailing from throughout Twins Territory, highlight the opening of the new Gate 34 Experience.
· The National Anthem will be Minneapolis songwriter and performer Sean Tillman (aka Har Mar Superstar).
· The ceremonial first pitch will be thrown by 2006 American League MVP, four-time All-Star and current FSN analyst Justin Morneau.
· A flyover will feature two F-16s from the Minnesota Air National Guard’s 148th Fighter Wing, based out of Duluth.
· Fireworks will accompany introductions of the 2019 Twins.
· Joining in the Opening Day spirit, a multitude of local buildings will be lit in Twins colors at various points throughout the week of March 25th: the IDS Building, Nicollet Mall, the Lowry Avenue Bridge and the 35W Bridge.
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.
· World War II veteran and centenarian Lawrence Cline of Alexandria, Minnesota will raise the American flag as part of the Salute to America presented by Thomson Reuters.
· The Twins Territory flag will be raised by John Griffith, a Twins Season Ticket Holder since Target Field’s inaugural 2010 season. John, who was previously with Target, helped design and build Target Plaza, while he was also involved in the lobbying effort to successfully build the ballpark. John is currently the head of real estate for Lifetime Athletic and resides in Maple Grove with his wife and their three children.
· Peter McLaughlin will raise the Hennepin County flag. During his 27 years and seven terms as County 4 Commissioner, McLaughlin was a leading advocate for the construction of Target Field, successfully lobbied for light rail transit funding and the subsequent METRO Blue Line in 2004, and pushed to consolidate the region’s libraries, build Minneapolis’ Midtown Greenway bike path and change the name of Lake Calhoun to Bde Maka Ska, among other accomplishments. He also served three terms in the Minnesota Legislature, rising to Assistant House Majority Leader.
In-game elements include:
· “God Bless America” will be performed by SPC Daniel Heck. A native Minnesotan and lifelong Twins fan, Specialist Heck has served in the Minnesota National Guard’s 34th Infantry Division “Red Bull” Band since 2015. He recently returned from Kuwait, where the Red Bull Band performed for deployed troops and partnered to teach and perform at a school. Specialist Heck is currently enrolled at St. Cloud State University, where he majors in Music.
· Members of the Isobel Cup champion Minnesota Whitecaps will lead the crowd in singing “Take Me Out to the Ballgame” during the seventh-inning stretch. The Whitecaps defeated the Buffalo Beauts, 2-1 in overtime on March 17, to win the title following their inaugural National Women’s Hockey League (NWHL) season.
Tickets Available
Season, group, Twins Pass and single-game tickets for the remainder of the 2019 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.