Let's Road Trip Twins 2025: Trip #4 - Eastern Swingin'

[Steven Trefz]

The next road test for the 2025 Twins takes them into the Guardians' lair and up against the Green Monster. To Cleveland and Boston we go! But how will it go?

Image courtesy of © Mike Cardew/Akron Beacon Journal / USA TODAY NETWORK via Imagn Images

Cleveland Guardians - April 28-May 1
Progressive Field – Capacity 34,830
2024 attendance: 2,056,264 (Averaged 26,028, ranked 9th out of 15 AL parks, 20th overall MLB)

Progressive Field provided the Twins with all of the information they needed when evaluating the 2024 season. One win, six losses. Four of the losses were by one run, but just as the final divisional standings proved, that was all it took to shift the tide towards the Guardians. Each time the Twins entered Cleveland, they were looking for momentum and a chance to prove their dominance in the division. Each time they left defeated.  The Twins have been battling Cleveland at Progressive Field since the mid-90's. 259 games are in the books, and the Twins lose far more often than they win at the Rock and Roll Capital of the World. 112 wins and 147 losses in the past three decades. The last three seasons are particularly rough, with the Twins dropping two out of every three games to the Guardians on the road in that span.

Baseball in Cleveland began in 1894. This trip's destination, however, is to the most current iteration of Cleveland baseball: Progressive Field. I grew up memorizing Major League and even parts of Major League 2 (no shame). This stadium isn’t Municipal Stadium, but it’s been around a while nonetheless.  Progressive Field opened for business in 1994, and 2019 brought an extensive concourse renovation at the 200 level with entertainment spaces and open walkways.

The Guardians rebrand brought them back to the top of the AL Central, and the future looks bright for the organization. A trip to the southern tip of Lake Erie brings plenty to see and to do.  Built downtown, with plenty of surrounding neighborhood options for food and drink and a consistently winning team, Progressive Field can be well attended when the team is winning, so Sox fans should be aware if they plan to catch these games. Cleveland itself boasts the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame and several neighborhood eating highlights. A short drive to Canton brings the Pro Football Hall of Fame into the mix, while lake and outdoor activities also are available.

One unique attribute and history that carries on is John Adam’s Drum. This dedicated fan brought the “thump” to every game since 1973 but hadn’t been in attendance since Covid started. In fact, he passed away in 2023, but his tradition carries on. One of his original drums is actually now enshrined in the Baseball Hall of Fame.

After hopefully surviving three games in Cleveland, the Twins will continue on east to Fenway Park to tackle the upstart Red Sox.

Boston Red Sox - May 2-4
Fenway Park - Capacity 37,755
2024 Attendance: 2,659,949 (Averaged 32,838, ranked 4th out of 15 AL parks, 11th overall MLB)

The Twins' September 2024 trip to Fenway Park started with nail biting excitement and a miracle 12-inning endurance victory in game one. What followed were seven and six run defeats in a double-header from H-E-Double-hockey-sticks.  The Twins have been taking road trips to Fenway Park since before they were the Twins! For the first 523 games they had a lot shorter distance to travel as the Washington Senators, but they struggled to a 239-284 record at Fenway. In 1961 the Twins started flying halfway across the country to play in Boston, and their record got worse...way worse. The Minnesota Twins have played 330 games at Fenway Park, and have only won 140 of them. In fact, for six decades the annual journey to Boston has basically been a guaranteed losing effort. 2019 was the only season in the last decade that saw the Twins leave Boston with a series victory.

One of two remaining “jewel box” ballparks (Wrigley being the other), Fenway Park serves as a must-see for any baseball road-tripper. Across the Charles River from the likes of MIT and Harvard, the Red Sox’s home field carries a history of curses and triumphs. From the house that Babe Wrecked to Big Papi’s stomping grounds (ouch), Fenway speaks to the iconic and cultural power of baseball in Americana.

Even my backyard wiffle ball set-up had a “Green Monster” set of evergreen trees…temptingly close but impossible to clear. I didn’t make that up; Fenway did. At 37 feet tall, the Monster serves as the biggest batter distraction in baseball. Pesky’s pole in right field sits a mere 295 feet away from home plate if you believe independent measuring services (“officially” 302, according to the Sox).

Being the birthplace of our nation also provides numerous places for investigation. Boston Harbor, Paul Revere’s home, and the replica of “Cheers,” the bar! Each neighborhood in the old city has its own special eateries, and the revolutionary era graveyards and crypts are worth a tour.

From Boston the Twins haul everything back to Target Field to tangle with the Orioles and Giants in an extended orange homestand. Will they be riding high after this important road trip? Or will the return to central time zone not be the only losing going on? How do you think the Twins will do?

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