Target Field

Lore & Background

Target Field is the Twins/Senators sixth ballpark, and the franchise's third in Minnesota. The Twins had played 28 seasons at the Hubert H. Humphrey Metrodome, and before that 21 seasons at Metropolitan Stadium. The Twins shared both facilities with the Minnesota Vikings, and the Metrodome with the University of Minnesota Golden Gophers football team. The final budget for construction was $435 million, of which $175 million was paid by the Twins and $260 million was paid by Hennepin County by way of a 0.15% county-wide sales tax. An additional $120 million in infrastructure costs were split between the county ($90 million), the team ($20 million), Target Corporation ($4.5 million), the Minnesota Department of Transportation ($3.5 million) and the Minnesota Ballpark Authority ($2 million) bringing the project's total cost to US$555 million.

In Their Own Story

The April wind off the Mississippi cuts through the upper deck, carrying the sharp scent of fresh-cut grass and the warm, buttery tang of a bratwurst from the concession stand below. A kid in a pinstriped Twins cap presses his face against the railing, watching the pitcher wind up, his breath fogging in the thin air. The crowd murmurs, a low collective hold of breath. The ball leaves the hand, arcs, and the crack of the bat is not a sound so much as a physical jolt, felt in the sternum before the ear registers it. The stadium exhales. Then the call comes—'TWIN—CITIES!'—and ten thousand towels lift in one white wave, a slow tide of cotton rolling from section to section, catching the low sun, turning the whole bowl into a single breathing thing. The kid's dad grabs his shoulder, grinning, saying nothing, because there is nothing to say. The night is young, the game is close, and the sky above the outfield is the exact shade of blue that no dome has ever been able to fake.

Reader's Guide

The Twins were in their 13th season in the Metrodome when they formally declared their desire to find a new home on July 18, 1994. Carl Pohlad, owner of the Twins, told the Metropolitan Sports Facilities Commission the current facility was 'economically obsolete' due to changes in the economy of Major League Baseball. This declaration started a process which would culminate nearly 16 years later with the opening of Target Field. In the intervening years, many ideas, financing plans and possible locations came and went. The long process included threats of relocation, infighting between the Twin Cities of Minneapolis and St. Paul, and numerous pieces of legislation at various levels of government. The process spanned the terms of three Minnesota governors, five mayors of Minneapolis or St. Paul, and even two long-tenured Twins managers. The timeline includes key events from 1961 through 2010, when the Twins moved to Target Field.

Did You Know?

• Target Field is named for Target Corporation, which is headquartered in Minneapolis.
• The stadium hosted the 2014 Major League Baseball All-Star Game.
• In 2010, ESPN The Magazine ranked Target Field as the number one baseball stadium experience in North America.
• The final budget for construction was $435 million, with an additional $120 million in infrastructure costs.