9 October 2023
The home crowd at Target Field literally changed the game last week when the Twins hosted the Toronto Blue Jays in the two-game American League Wild Card Series.
With a couple of runners in scoring position midway through Game 2 last Wednesday, Twins pitching ace Sonny Gray got out of the jam thanks to a perfectly executed pickoff move that caught Blue Jays baserunner Vladimir Guerrero Jr. napping on second base.
Asked about the sequence postgame, Gray gave a shoutout to the 38,518 fans in attendance, explaining that it was so loud in that moment that Guerrero couldn’t hear anything while he was taking his lead off the base. As a result, Gray turned and fired to Twins shortstop Carlos Correa, who promptly tagged Guerrero to end the scoring threat.
“The crowd was incredible today from the moment I stepped on the mound,” Gray said. “They really, really helped us win that game.”
As the Twins prepare to host the Houston Astros in Game 3 and Game 4 of the American League Division Series this week at Target Field, the fact that they have stolen homefield advantage should not be overlooked.
After praising the fans last week for the impact they had, Twins manager Rocco Baldelli waxed poetic once again when asked about the importance of returning to Target Field with the best-of-five American League Division Series tied at one game apiece. He likened the home crowd to having an extra player on the field.
“They are going to be ready,” Baldelli said of the home crowd. “We have seen what it can look like.”
The fact that it looked so good last week is a testament to the fan base. As much heartbreak as the Twins have caused for nearly 20 years, tens of thousands of fans still showed up for a midafternoon game in Minneapolis. That historic 18-game playoff losing streak be damned.
The impact was palpable as the Twins beat the Blue Jays in Game 1 of the Wild Card Series. There was something tangible that the players could see in some of the biggest moments of that game. There was also something intangible that the players could feel coursing through their veins with every roar.
“I thought the place was going to split open and melt,” Baldelli said. “It was out of this universe out there on the field. The fans took over the game. They helped us win.”
It was much of the same as the Twins completed the sweep of the Blue Jays in Game 2 of their first-round series. There might have been even more energy for that particular game as the nervousness completely faded away with fans no longer waiting for the other shoe to drop.
Now, if the Twins go on a deep playoff run, their fan base deserves a lot of credit. Not only for making a ton of noise inside the confines of Target Field, but also for sticking around through the tough times, without knowing when exactly things were going to turn.
This is the payoff for everybody involved. The franchise. The players. The fan base.
Asked about having homefield advantage for the remainder of the ALDS, Twins catcher Ryan Jeffers, perhaps strategically, compared the decibel level at Target Field to the decibel level at Minute Maid Park in Houston.
“Our place was louder,” Jeffers said. “All we can ask is for that same energy.”
Not that there’s any doubt from the Twins at this point.
“I think they got a taste of what they are capable of,” Baldelli said. “I bet there are a lot of people that can’t wait to get to the ballpark to be a part of it again.”
As for Gray, after being smack dab in the middle of it last week, he will take the mound for the Twins to start Game 3 on Tuesday afternoon at Target Field.
“I know the fans are going to show up,” Gray said. “They were incredible last time we were at home. We expect nothing less. They are going to be incredible again.”
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