MINNEAPOLIS — Editor's note: The above video originally aired on March 11, 2022.
The Minnesota Twins announced their plans Thursday for next week's 2022 home opener against the Seattle Mariners.
It will be the club's first opener without pandemic restrictions since 2019.
The first pitch against the Mariners is set for 3:10 p.m. next Thursday, April 7.
A Twins news release highlighted the plans with a list that includes the following:
Breakfast on the Plaza Returns: For the first time since 2019, the Twins' Opening Day tradition of "Breakfast on the Plaza" returns to 7th Street between 6:00 a.m. and 9:00 a.m.
Open the Gates!: Twins legends Tony Oliva (Gate #6) and Kent Hrbek (Gate #14) will open their namesake ballpark entrances at 1:00 p.m., while franchise icons Tom Kelly (Gate #3) and Jim Kaat (Gate #29), along with Kirby Puckett Jr. and Catherine Puckett (Gate #34), will also officially open the Target Field gates and welcome fans.
Season ticket holders entering their gate near Target Field Station will be greeted by select players from the Twins' Opening Day roster.
Opening Weekend Jackets: The first 10,000 fans in attendance throughout Opening Weekend will receive a Twins jacket.
Countdown to Cooperstown: There are just over 100 days (and 95 Twins games) before their July 24 induction, Twins legends and 2022 National Baseball Hall of Fame electees, Jim Kaat and Tony Oliva, will begin their "Countdown to Cooperstown" presented by Coordinated Business Systems. "Kitty" and "Tony O," teammates in Minnesota from 1962-73, will be honored with a videoboard presentation before throwing out Opening Day's ceremonial first pitches to a pair of fellow Twins Hall of Famers – Kaat to Tom Kelly and Oliva to Kent Hrbek. The Twins will also unveil a Countdown to Cooperstown counter inside Gate 34. The board will be changed following the fifth inning of each home game leading up to induction day, with a Twins season ticket holder doing the honors on Opening Day.
National Anthem: The 15-member Shiloh Temple International Ministries Choir will sing the National Anthem on Opening Day at Target Field.
Some of the pre-game ceremonies include an "In Memoriam" videoboard presentation, a "Thank You Fans" video, a flyover from a World War II plane, and fireworks during the announcement of the starting lineups.
Joining the festive mood of Opening Day, buildings and bridges will be lit in Twins colors, including Target Plaza South, the IDS Building, the Lowry Avenue Bridge and the 35W Bridge.
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