Target Field turf set for season opener

Target Field opens for a game
Fans filled the seats for the first time at Target Field to watch the Gophers play Louisiana Tech in Minneapolis, Minn. Saturday, March 27, 2010.
MPR Photo/Jeffrey Thompson

Officials from Major League Baseball will visit the new Target Field on Friday to make sure the new field meets league standards.

Head groundskeeper Larry DiVito says the inspection will leave plenty of time for any needed fixes before the first regular season game on April 12th.

DiVito also says the outfield grass will have a traditional cut and will not have any kind of design mowed into it, a move some teams make to set their ballparks apart from others.

"This stadium is so spectacular and this team is so good that there's no reason to distract from the environment here with crazy patterns," DiVito said. "You're going to see real traditional patterns."

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DiVito says the new field is designed to withstand late winter storms, but the lack of any this year has allowed crews to focus on other tasks related to Opening Day.

"It's our first March getting to understand the heating system so that if we do have a bad March next year or the year after, we'll be prepared for it," he said. "We're not going to let snow sit in here until March 15th. We'll physically remove it out of here and air out the grass and then turn up the soil heat."

The new stadium has one of the few heated fields in the major leagues to help battle harsh off-season weather.

Target Field debuted on Saturday, when the University of Minnesota baseball team hosted a game. The Twins will play two exhibition games this upcoming weekend.