Target Field Crowd Provides Twins with 10th Man in Series Win Over Blue Jays

[Jamie Cameron]

For days prior to the Twins Wild Card series against the Blue Jays, debate raged in Twins fandom about the Target Field crowd. What was the atmosphere in each Wild Card game? Did the crowd have a tangible impact in the series, and if so, can the 10th man help against the Astros?

 

Image courtesy of Jesse Johnson, USA Today Sports

 

A cacophony of crowd noise rained down from the Target Field seats as Jhoan Duran prepared to throw the pitch. ‘Let’s go Twins, let’s go Twins’ rang the rhythmic chant. Duran released the pitch, a 101 mph laser above the strike zone that Daulton Varsho swung hopelessly at, and inevitably through. Target Field erupted again in a swell of excitement and relief.

Much has been made of the Target Field crowd; how it stacks up, and whether the atmosphere at the Twins ballpark meets the moment with enough regularity. Here are some things noticed from Wild Card games one and two, in an attempt to add some nuance to the debate.

Ahead of the Twins first game against the Blue Jays, Dan Hayes caused a stir in an article for The Athletic in which former and current players and journalists were critical of the atmosphere at Target Field. This was bait, and boy did Twins Twitter latch on. Any argument on social media is quickly reduced to its simplest, polar terms as quickly as possible. Two sides quickly emerged; ‘Target Field is a library’ and ‘The Twins need to earn support with their play’ charged into an online battle.

The truth is, of course, there’s much more nuance to this discussion than emerged in most of the debate. For baseball fans lucky enough to be well-traveled, Target Field is a quieter ballpark, that’s not debatable. Visit Oracle, Dodger Stadium, and several others and the discrepancy is stark. It’s also true that playoff games at Target Field have been few and far between, and the Twins play in said games has been as drab and uninspiring as the October weather in the Twin Cities. There’s room for all of that to be true. Here are some observations of the atmosphere in each game.

During Game 1, I stood with several Twins Daily writers on the 100 level down the third base line. ‘If Pablo can throw a scoreless inning, and the Twins offense can do something’ it’ll get the crowd worked up’, was our shared sentiment. The crowd was immediately electrified by Royce Lewis’ two-run home run off Kevin Gausman. 

In addition to 20 years of emotional baggage associated with breaking their 0-18 playoff streak, there were plenty of moments in Game 1 to keep the crowd engaged. Gausman throwing away baseball after baseball elicited boos and loud ‘Gauuuuuusman’ chants. Royce Lewis’ second home run in as many at-bats, Carlos Correa's herculean effort to nab Bo Bichette at home plate after a botched play at third by Jorge Polanco. The pacing and spacing of these events crescendoed with the Twins shrugging off almost 20 years of playoff futility and misery. The energy was incredible.

Game 2 was a different experience, with a different context. The crowd at the beginning of game two was absolutely more quiet. Target Field was packed to the rafters. There was a nervous, horse, hungover feel to the place for a tense first few innings.

The crowd in Game 2 was more engaged with Sonny Gray than the offense, (the offense did very little until the fourth inning when Kikuchi entered the game). Gray had traffic constantly, it felt like he needed it more. When Donovan Solano walked to load the bases with no outs and Correa at the plate, everything changed. From that moment on, the crowd was electric. No play captures this more than the pickoff play in the fifth inning which served as a death knell to the Blue Jays’ hopes in the series. The stealthy creep by Correa was incredible, the dart from Gray was perfect, and the deafening noise from the Target Field crowd built the foundation on which that play was executed. In his postgame comments, Gray reflected on the impact of the crowd, noting that it was so loud, that the Blue Jays base runners couldn’t hear the instructions of their third base coach. The most important defensive play in the decisive game of the series was made possible by the Target Field crowd meeting the moment.

There’s something uniquely Minnesotan about seeking a feeling of relevance. We want our sporting heroes to espouse a love for the state. We don’t want our ballpark to be compared to Citizens Bank. The truth is, Target Field won’t be louder than Philly, LA, or Baltimore, and that doesn’t matter one bit. Twins fans, for the first time in a quarter century, are experiencing, however short-lived, a playoff run. We’re learning to create and cultivate our own special atmosphere at Target Field. In a two-game series against the Blue Jays, it energized the players and had an impact on a series-altering play. The only thing I can be certain of is it’ll be just as raucous when the Astros visit for Game 3 on Tuesday.

Did you attend either game? Watch on TV? What was your take on the Target Field crowd?

 

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[Dave Borton]

Scene: Wrigley Field 5 yrs ago, 3rd inn. I am running for beers while my bud keeps mental notes.

I came back and crowd was doing a standing-O and going wild. "What did I miss," as I spilled some beer in an effort to hasten my arrival back at the seat.

"Cubs got them for a double play," he grinned and responded. We knew we weren't at Target Field.

In my visits to about 18 ballparks, the ring around the Great Lakes has the quietest crowds: Toronto, (Buffalo - AAA, my origin), Cleveland, Detroit, Milwaukee, and here.  At the other end of the spectrum, LA, Atlanta, St Louis -- all make us seem like we are hoarse.

However, attending game one against Toronto, I thought I was back at Dodger Stadium or Busch.. We rose to the occasion. I suggest that we are responders here, not generators. Let's see what the next two games bring.




 

[Blyleven2011]

Home field is always home field advantage  , but when the crowd is electrified and into the game the advantage seems to be stronger for the Home team  ...

The crowd can make a big difference  ...

[Harrison Greeley III]

Anyone who lived through 1987 and 1991 should know the value of crowd noise. Anyone who has run some other form of long distance knows the pick-up from people cheering as you pass. 

I love taking a data-based, scientific approach to baseball. But stress and confidence can't be scientifically measured accurately. Nevertheless, those 2 ideas are real. The Twins went 0-18 because they played tense and stressed-out while the other teams played confidently. Nobody hits well when they're stressed out. Mistake pitches and fielding errors are made under duress.

Those 1987 and 1991 teams were virtually unbeatable in the post-season with a loud crowd behind them. They were quite beatable without the crowd.

[ashbury]

On 10/7/2023 at 8:36 AM, Jamie Cameron said:

A cacophony of noise reigned down

Is there another kind of cacophony than "of noise"?  And were there members of the royalty in attendance?

With those quibbles out of the way, I do want to offer a counterpoint to your impressions.  I posted earlier that I attended both games last week in the company of my two sons.  We were seated down low too, though on the other side of the diamond from you.  It could be that the differing location accounts for differing experience.  But I thought the fan engagement was uniformly outstanding in both games.

It's true that Game One had all the pomp and circumstance you associate with the start of a playoff series including introductions and a giant US flag and a military flyover, all of which the crowd responded to with excitement.  These mini-events were not repeated for Game Two.  So the difference in crowd noise at the very start of the two games might come simply from that.  Where we sat, the crowd was appropriately into the game from the very first pitch, both games, and never lapsed back into the passive mode that I associate with Target Field.

Some regular TD readers will recall that I spent six years in the Boston area, and I attended quite a few games at Fenway.  I hold up that ballpark as the gold standard for spontaneous fan involvement.  Never do the Red Sox try to amp things up with phony "Charge!" or "clap-clap-clap" recordings over the loudspeakers.  The organist plays normal ballpark music between pitches or whenever, and the fans themselves decide when to lead a cheer.  And cheer they do.  Some leather-lunged drunkard will stand up and start yelling "Lets-Go-Red-Sox" and pretty soon the whole section is doing it and with luck the entire ballpark joins in.  It's not after a run-scoring play either - you'll hear it in the fifth when they're behind 5-1, or when the bases are loaded against them and a double play is needed.  (And don't get me started about Sweet Caroline, which I dismissed as hokey until I experienced it in person.)  There are reasons to criticize fan behavior at that ballpark, but I never personally witnessed anything other than good-spirited fandom.  Gold standard, I say.

And for the first time ever at Target Field, I felt that same level of genuine fan involvement in both games last week.  Occasionally the scoreboard would display their standard (and always very lame) "MAKE NOISE!" and similar messages, when the place was already rocking.  Whoever in Dave St Peter's domain is in charge of "fan experience" needs to think things through better.  Plan for success, in other words - if people are already doing what they should be doing, don't mess with it.  Think of something else for those occasions, if it adds, otherwise let the fan experience develop organically, when it's going good.

Nearly every time in the Wild Card games a Twins pitcher got two strikes on a batter, the people in front of me stood up and cheered, making it necessary for me to stand, which in turn made the people behind me stand too. A little over the top, but it was the playoffs after all, and both games were tight.  I'll forgive a lot of corniness or lack of sophistication at the ballpark when it's genuine.

Game One? "If Pablo can throw a scoreless inning, and the Twins offense can do something’ it’ll get the crowd worked up’, was our shared sentiment."  Dude, we were standing and cheering that entire first plate appearance facing Pablo, and the amplitude waxed and waned after that but never was less than enthusiastic.  We were already cheering Royce Lewis at the plate BEFORE the first home run.  His second home run didn't "keep the fans engaged," as you put it. Of course the volume certainly went up when the ball left the park, both times - how loud can you yell Oh No He Didn't!

Maybe you were cursed with relatively lousy fans near you - the "I'll clap when they give me something to clap about" type.  Our side of the ballyard?  It was jumpin'.  Every inning.  Every batter, nearly.  Nuance, as you put it, is not necessary.

These two games rank among the very best experiences I've ever had at a ballpark.

[Parfigliano]

Crowd seems to help Twins more then Vikings.

[Cozinator]

I was lucky enough to be sitting five rows up from the plexiglass in left field in '87 for the sixth game... As I remember, it was pretty quiet through the first four innings. I'd have to go look at the box score, but my recollection is that the Cardinals scored the first run or two. Then something changed. Maybe it was the pent up frustration of four Super Bowl losses bubbling up, but for the rest of the game we were all on our feet--screaming. The crowd was not going to let the Twins lose. You could feel it. That night, we were definitely the tenth man. Watching the seventh game the next night, my ears were still ringing.

[big dog]

I was shocked at how quiet the Astros crowd was last night- the stadium was virtually silent for the middle innings. In the 9th inning the shot from centerfield showed all sorts of empty seats right behind home plate. Big contrast with the last two games at TF (not so much of a contrast with lots of other games at TF).

[Dave Borton]

8 hours ago, ashbury said:

Is there another kind of cacophony than "of noise"? 

Sure, a symphony warming up. 
Voices at a protest.
A bad piece of art with noisy, inappropriate clashes.
Our congregation chanting the psalm (grins).

And "reign?" He already had the Twins in mind for reigning champs of the World Series. All good.

[Dave Borton]

3 hours ago, ashbury said:

Occasionally the scoreboard would display their standard (and always very lame) "MAKE NOISE!" and similar messages, when the place was already rocking.  Whoever in Dave St Peter's domain is in charge of "fan experience" needs to think things through better.

Thank you. In the past, I have emailed the Twins to lose that phrase on the electronic board. So lame.

[Dave Borton]

3 hours ago, ashbury said:

Some leather-lunged drunkard will stand up and start yelling "Lets-Go-Red-Sox"

Phrase of the month. TD should put a sticky on the phrase!

[HoskenPowell]

I was at the World Series game that Herbie pulled Gant off 1st base.  I swear to god the CONCRETE was shaking most of the game.    I wont be there in person these next two days so PLEASE fans in attendence.....get it rocking !!!!!    Go Twins.