Home opener for Twins: Earliest ever, and chilly
The Minnesota Twins played the earliest outdoor home opener in team history on Monday afternoon at Target Field against the Detroit Tigers.
The Twins lost, 4-2.
The previous early mark was set back in 1971, when the Twins opened the home season on April 6 at Metropolitan Stadium, said team spokesman Kevin Smith. Temperatures were in the 30s, and Smith said before the game that he expected fans would dress appropriately.
"We'll also have our more than 300 radiant heaters fired up on all concourse levels," he said. "So the main concourse, the upper levels of Target Field, they'll be fired up and keeping people warm. Obviously, our Town Hall Tavern, Hrbek's and Two Gingers pub will be open for business where people can duck in and warm up a little bit."
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The Twins' roster has a few new faces, including starting pitcher Vance Worley, who was the starting pitcher at the 3:10 p.m. game.
The new starting center fielder is rookie Aaron Hicks, who replaces Denard Span.
Smith said Hicks will be exciting to watch this season: "Aaron Hicks will now join a long lineage of Twins centerfielders dating back to Kirby Puckett and Torii Hunter and Denard Span, and now Hicks gets his shot out there. He's a very big, very strong, very fast player. Great kid. He'll be fun to watch in center field."
The Twins traded Span and Ben Revere in the offseason for Worley and two other young pitchers.
The team also hired a new hitting coach in the offseason after the Twins finished the last two seasons at the bottom of the American League.
