MINNEAPOLIS — Jean and Doug Wolfe entered the Target Field concourse on Monday about an hour before the Twins’ first pitch against the Chicago White Sox, smiling from ear to ear as they approached the right field bleachers.
It was an American League Central showdown on an extended Fourth of July weekend, pitting the first-place Sox against a last-place Twins club seeking to gain some ground in the division before the All-Star break.
For the first time since the pandemic began, Target Field did not have any capacity restrictions.
“It is absolutely wonderful,” Jean Wolfe said.
Then Doug Wolfe added: “It just feels so normal again.”
The Twins did not draw a sellout on Monday, but the series opener against the White Sox was significant in that it represented the start of “Welcome Back Week” at Target Field. After gradually ramping up capacity limits in 2021, the second half of the Twins’ home schedule will allow for 100% capacity, another sign that the Twin Cities are moving into a post-pandemic world.
The Ross family traveled from Dodge Center, Minnesota, on Monday for their first game in two seasons.
“You know, I’ve lived in Minnesota my whole life and it’s always been kind of a summer tradition,” Amanda Ross said with her daughters standing alongside. “It feels like summer is complete once we’ve seen a Twins game.”
Jeremy Williams, normally a Twins fan, wore a Tim Anderson White Sox jersey to Target Field on Monday in support of Chicago’s shortstop, a childhood friend of his from Tuscaloosa, Alabama.
He wanted his family – all wearing Twins gear – to watch Anderson and enjoy an afternoon at the ballpark.
“It’s amazing. It feels good just to smell the grass and see the different fans and people,” Williams said. “It’s a great feeling.”
Greg Seever, a Minnesota native who now lives in Atlanta, brought his 12-year-old son Kendrick to Target Field for “Welcome Back Week.” Kendrick said “it sucked” last year to have to watch his favorite players, notably Max Kepler, on television with no fans in the stands.
“We haven’t been here in a couple of years, so we’re looking forward to walking around the stadium, seeing what’s different,” Greg Seever said, “remembering what it used to look like.”
Jean Wolfe, who has been watching the Twins for years, said the memories came rushing back the moment she strolled through the gates of Target Field.
“We couldn’t have a summer day with my father, without having a transistor radio on in the background. Listening to the radio and listening to the Twins play was just the highlight of his life,” Wolfe said. “So, happy to be back. Really.”