Let's Road Trip 2025: Trip #1 - St. Louis to the South Side

[Steven Trefz]

The Twins begin their 2025 campaign in enemy territory. The first road trip of the season begins in St. Louis and ends on the South Side of Chicago. What will a Twins fan find if they join their favorite team on the road?

Image courtesy of © Jeff Curry-Imagn Images

The last time Twins fans had a chance to watch them compete on the field, they were mostly choosing not to. September brought losses upon losses, and hastened the end of a disappointing season. The offseason has brought unique storylines, whether it be the team getting put up for sale; the TV situation finally getting remedied; or the departure of Thad Levine, Max Kepler, Carlos Santana, and a host of coaches throughout the organization. A page is turning, and to discover whether it was a forward or backward turn, fans will learn a lot from how the season-opening road trip goes. 

St. Louis Cardinals - March 27-30
Busch Stadium - Capacity 44,383
2024 Attendance: 2,869,783 (Averaged 35,872, ranked 6th out of 15 NL parks, 7th overall MLB)

St. Louis’s baseball history can be traced back to 1882. Eleven World Series trophies later, the Cardinals remain elite among fan bases and maintain baseball cultural icon status. The current Busch Stadium is the third iteration, and provides a scenic view of the downtown skyline and this noble heritage. Built in 2006, it sports a Ballpark Village neighborhood attraction and its own Hall of Fame Museum. Brewery tours, trips up to the top of the Arch, BBQ and BBQ and more BBQ, and time spent feasting on baseball in the heartland. What could be better?

The majestic views past the outfield concourse give the stadium its style points. The red seats and Clydesdales provide the ambiance, and the fans provide the support. The Cardinals have benefited from being the only game in town for a region that stretches from Oklahoma to Alabama, Indiana to Colorado. Their radio signal strength established a fan base, and their open wallet and excellent farm system have set them up to be contenders most seasons, so the last two seasons' strife is regarded as an anomaly and their fan base is hungry for redemption.

The Twins lost two of three at Target Field last August, marking the start of a punchless season-dooming homestand. The Cards' most maddening win came on a blown save by Jhoan Duran via an Eduoard Julien toss into left field on a double-play ball. In 2023, the Twins took two of three in their last road trip to St. Louis, in the early August heat at Busch Stadium. In 2021 the Cardinals won a series in late July. So how will the Twins fare with the humidity not at 110 percent and the hope of a new season emerging from its winter thaw?

There hasn't been a series sweep in the battle of the 1987 World Series opponents since 2018, so odds are that it'll be splits-ville to start the season. Overall, the Twins are 8-7 at this version of Busch Stadium. The main antagonist in this rivalry has been the weather, because the temps in August easily reach 100 degrees. A trip in March takes this element out of play, but maybe adds the risk of snow? On the other hand, Opening Day is special there—a true festival atmosphere. It will be cool for the Twins to be part of it.

From the heart of St. Louis, the Twins continue on to their first divisional stop of the season. It’s on to Rate Field (yes, that's it's stupid, real name now) for a date with the rival White Sox.

Chicago White Sox - March 31 - April 2
Rate Field - Capacity  40,615
2024 Attendance -  1,380,733 (Averaged 17,931, ranked 13th out of 15 AL teams, 27th overall MLB)

The artist formerly known as New Comiskey Park, The “Cell,” and Guaranteed Rate has been around since 1991, but South Side Chicago American League baseball has been cooking since 1901. While the current stadium sits in a residential area, it carries a “big” stadium vibe compared to its North Side counterpart. Sharing an owner allows you to also buy Bulls gear at the ballpark, if you are into that sort of thing.

The upper deck leans into the “upper” half of its name, while the bleachers get hot… but probably not in March and early April. In the 2000s, a person could shower on the outfield walkway. I’m not sure who thought that was a great idea, but I’d be lying if I said I didn’t try it out one blistering August afternoon.

Lake Michigan, Soldier Field and the Museum campus, Sears Tower, and the Magnificent Mile. The smell of the L-Train platforms wafting in the Lake Shore breeze. The early-season angst of White Sox fans. With the Sox still in full rebuild mode, I’m guessing there should be quite a few good seats available for a cheap rate (pun intended).

As frustrating as the Twins were in 2024, the White Sox were an unprecedented affront to the dignity of the game. The Twins took five of six from the South Siders on the road, and a whopping 12 of 13 from the Pale Hose over the course of the season! Since the White Sox started playing baseball at the new property in 1991, the Twins have played 274 games on the South Side of Chicago, and have come away victorious 130 times while leaving defeated 144 times. The Twins will need to keep up their recent success at Rate Field if they want to stay in the hunt in 2025.

From there, the Twins journey back to Target Field for the home opener against the Houston Astros. What kind of record will the Twins take home with them? How do you think this opening road trip through the Midwest is going to go, Twins fans?

---

Let's Road Trip is a series of stories exploring the Twins' 14 road trips during the 2025 season.  I will focus on stadium highlights, attributes, Twins history, and community amenities.  Potential pitfalls and roadblocks get considered, and travel considerations get mentioned.  My handy-dandy Baseball Road Trips by Timothy Malcolm and Moon travel guides will be a go-to for this conversation.

View full article

[Dave Borton]

What I enjoyed most about visiting Busch Stadium, in addition to the history?  The fans. Knowledgeable, loud, welcoming, electric energy.

What I enjoyed most about WSox Stadium (not sure what they call it this week...). Nothing.

[IndianaTwin]

Welp. Apparently it's now "Rate Field," but I can guarantee the Sox are still going to stink. 

In my mind, the best attributes of the Monument to Cement are that it's my shortest drive to a park and that the tickets are cheap. Buy the cheapest available on StubHub -- you will be able to move down easily. The shower is a carryover from Bill Veeck having installed a shower in the outfield stands at Old Comiskey.

The drive from Busch to Comiskey is listed at 4:11, but if possible, consider taking Historic Route 66. One of my favorite metaphors for life is the significant stretch that has Amtrak, Route 66 and Interstate 55 going side by side. Staying on 66 will get you lots of kitschy stuff, but the Route 66 Museum in Pontiac is pretty excellent. It's a Monday afternoon game in Chicago, so you may not have the extra time to spend on 66, but you can see the World's Largest Ketchup Bottle with a very brief detour off I-55 at the beginning of your jaunt. 

I'll add the St. Louis Zoo as a recommendation when in that city. If you're in Chicago for several days, consider getting the CityPass, which will get you into the Shedd Aquarium, Skydeck Chicago [the Willis (Sears) Tower] and three from among the Adler Planetarium, Art Institute, Museum of Science and Industry, Field Museum, an architecture river tour and the 360 Chicago Observation Deck. If you're mobile, a bunch of them are within walking distance of each other.

And if you're driving back from Chicago to the Twin Cities, it's only a couple blocks off 90/94 to stop at Smoque BBQ. Brisket excellent. Ribs excellent. Pork excellent. Haven't had the sausage. But the BBQ Gumbo -- amazing. How good is it? I choose it over the aforementioned excellent brisket, ribs or pork.

If you're not driving back from Chicago to the Twin Cities, find a way to get there anyway. It's only a couple blocks from the Blue Line. Or take Uber, Lyft, whatever -- just get there. 

[LambchoP]

Well, at least we should be able to pick up a couple wins against the White Sox. That is unless Correa, Lewis and Buxton are already hurt. Sadly, I could actually see at least two of the three going down even before our home opener :(