Courtesy of Leah Emmans
Leah Emmans and her mother at a Minnesota Twins game.
For Minnesotans, seeing Twins fans in the stands at Target Field this season is one of many signs that life is returning to normal. But if there’s anyone who’s most excited, it’s longtime season ticket holders.
“Waiting for any season to start is Christmas-like anticipation,” says Leah Emmans, season ticket holder since 1996. “This season is that feeling times two.”
A lifelong Twins fan, Emmans celebrated her 10th birthday at the Old Met Stadium and her 50th at Target Field. She thanks her mom for igniting her love for baseball. “My mom was a big fan since the Twins first came to town.” The two bought season tickets together in 1996, and while other family members had “more well-rounded hobbies” that kept them from attending every game, mother and daughter were always side by side in the stands.
“It was a beautiful three-hour conversation and pause in our busy lives,” Emmans says. “Baseball is such a gift that way. It’s as complicated as you want it to be. We kept score, talked about outfielder positioning, maybe who was available in the bullpen, but we also solved the world’s problems.”
In 25 years, Emmans and her family have witnessed a lot of historic moments at Target Field. “My sister and I saw Joe Mauer’s last game,” she says. “We had tickets where we could see directly into the Twins dugout, and I watched Joe Mauer walk up the steps with his catching gear on. It was magical. I doubt I will see another baseball player as talented as him, and it ended in such a storybook fashion.”
“We never boo. We don’t do the wave. And we never leave early.” Leah Emmans, Twins season ticket holder
That kind of magical moment just can’t be replicated through radio or TV. “The Twins are blessed to have wonderful radio announcers and television broadcasters who did a masterful job of describing the game last year under difficult circumstances,” says Emmans, “but there is so much of the game that I missed by not being there. Like seeing the field as a whole to watch the interplay between the position players and the shifting of the base runners. Or watching Byron Buxton play—a gift that is only truly appreciated by seeing him in person. This season, I’m anxious to see Andrelton Simmons play shortstop.”
Returning to Target Field also means resuming beloved home game rituals. They’ve evolved over time, but the current routine looks something like this: “As soon as I arrive, I go to the entry of Bat and Barrel and find my mom and me on the mural with the people holding the big flag at the All-Star Game. I get my scorecard, grab a hot dog, and greet our usher, Barb, before taking our seats. If my kids are there, even now, the fifth inning means ice cream. We never boo. We don’t do the wave. And we never leave early.”
What role do you think the Twins can play in revitalizing downtown after more than a year of quiet and caution?
Courtesy of Minnesota Twins
“For many of our fans, coming to a Twins game at Target Field will be their first time downtown in over a year, and our group—in collaboration with city and community leaders—is focused on delivering a safe, fun, and welcoming environment that makes people eager to come back for more. Twins games are highly visible events; if our home season serves as a gateway for folks to get back downtown—not just to our ballpark, but to shop, eat, and drink at their favorite spots before and after our games—then we’ll have had a successful 2021 season.” Dave St. Peter, president and CEO of Minnesota Twins
This article originally appeared in the June 2021 issue of Mpls.St.Paul Magazine. Read more on downtown Minneapolis, 2021 summer-style, sponsored by the mpls downtown council, here.
