Let's Road Trip Twins 2025: Trip #14 - Ending the Season in Style

[Steven Trefz]

The Twins end the 2025 season by taking on the Rangers in Arlington and the Phillies in Philadelphia. Two strong fan bases, two strong teams, and no margin for error. How will this final road trip of the season test the Twins' faithful?

Image courtesy of © Bill Streicher-Imagn Images

Texas Rangers - September 23-25
Globe Life Field - Capacity 40,300
2024 Attendance - 2,651,553 (Averaged 32,735, fifth out of 15 AL parks and 12th overall)

The Twins' August 2024 trip to Arlington, Texas, was one of few bright spots in a season of road trip failure. Minnesota was a Jorge Alcala five-run disaster away from completing a crucial four-game sweep of the reigning American League champions. But that inning happened, and what followed for the bullpen and the rest of the team was an encapsulation of the whole season.

Globe Life Park has served as a home away from home for the Twins, as they have managed a 9-4 record there since it opened in 2020. While the record has been positive, the results are much closer than they appear, with 11 of the 13 games being decided by two or fewer runs. Success, yes. Stress, also yes.

Texas exists as an outlier in the baseball universe. Even Moon Baseball Road Trips doesn’t know what to do with it. A trip to a Rangers game gets lumped in with a “heartland” road trip. The retractable roof at the new ballpark offers 71-degree days even when the outdoors is boiling in Arlington, which should be nice in case of any post-summer heat waves.

Globe Life Field opened to empty seats in 2020 thanks to the Covid pandemic. The seats didn’t necessarily fill up for mediocre baseball in 2021 either, but a World Series championship can do wonders for the attendance figures. After a step back in 2024, the Rangers hope to recapture national attention in 2025. The trend towards “entertainment district” stadium usage continues here, as teams seek to maximize fan spending for blocks in all directions. While in the district, you can go to Six Flags, a water park, AT&T Stadium, and a mall. What you can’t find is a downtown vibe or accessible public transit. The Dallas metro area also has the usual big-city highlights, along with a JFK memorial and the iconic Reunion Tower.

From Texas, the Twins head 1,487 miles northeast to the land of the Phanatic to face the loaded Phillies.

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Philadelphia Phillies - September 26-28
Citizens Bank Park - Capacity 42,901
2024 Attendance - 3,363,712 (Averaged 41,527, 2nd out of 15 AL parks and 3rd overall)

In mid-August of 2023, the Twins entered Philadelphia in hopes of staying the course on their playoff run. The Philiies had just come off of a World Series appearance, and were trying to regain that elite form. The Phillies started the series with a 13-2 whooping against Dallas Keuchel's comeback bid, but Pablo Lopez and Sonny Gray led the way to a series victory in games two and three.

The Twins made one trip to Veterans Stadium in 2002, and came away with a series win. Citizens Bank Park has been a wash for the club, with the Twins winning two series and the Phillies taking the other with the Twins holding a 5-4 advantage overall at the park.

I was surprised to discover that the Phillies have lost more games than any other American sports franchise. I only seem to remember the captivating squads of the 90’s, and the World Series attending teams of recent history. However, the giant former home of the Phillies, Veterans Stadium, often saw nothing but epic disappointment. At 67,000, Veterans Stadium had the capacity for greatness, and the vibe of concrete sterility. In 2004, the team began a new chapter with the more intimate and contemporary Citizens Bank Park.

The seating at Citizens Bank is described as “sitting over the field,” and the unique wind tunnel alleyways and small left- and right-field corners set the stage for home runs and excitement. Opposing fans can get up close and personal with the visitor’s bullpen in left-center field, or just hang out and listen to the Phillies fans give them grief. Of all of the stadiums that I researched, this one seems to be the least hospitable to away team jerseys and presence in general. Attenders beware!

The ballpark also seems to be set up for prime standing room only options, and its main food vendors exist in the open outfield concourse. There’s a kid’s wiffle ball field in right-field and a Wall of Fame in left. And, of course, keep your head on a swivel unless you want to get accosted by the Phillie Phanatic.

Philadelphia itself oozes history and tourist destinations. The start of American democracy and government, the pursuit of freedom and liberty, and the origins of the great cheesesteak all find their home here. You can pretend you are Rocky as you run the steps of the Museum of Art, or just sit there and watch other people exhaust themselves trying.

There you have it Twins fans, after 40,952 miles of road trips, Minnesota will be finished with the regular season. When the season ends on September 28th, where do you think all of these games and trips and memories will leave the Twins? With more games to play, or left wondering what might have been? Only time will tell, but I hope you get a chance to experience the story somewhere in person in 2025.

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[jkcarew]

I realize this series doesn’t generate many responses, as the topic isn’t what triggers our opinions on players or front office, etc,

Still IMO, the series is a great idea and a good read. Well done!