Let's Road Trip Twins 2025: Trip #5 - Mid-May Revenge

Baltimore Orioles - May 13-15
Oriole Park at Camden Yards - Capacity 44,970
2024 Attendance: 2,281,129 (Averaged 28,514, eighth out of 15 AL parks and 19th overall)

The Twins journeyed into Baltimore in mid-April of 2024, and they limped out after getting outscored 22-9 in a three-game sweep.  Minnesota has been traveling to the newest Oriole Park iteration since 1992, and have collected a 57-67 record over that span. From 2015-2019 the Twins used Baltimore as boost trip, winning 12 of the 16 matchups, but before and after have been far less beneficial to the club.

Oriole Park at Camden Yards will forever be tied with Ken Griffey Jr. in my mind. The connection has nothing to do with Griffey's legendary blast in the 1993 Home Run Derby — still the only home run ever to hit the warehouse in right field — it's due to the fact that the Super Nintendo game Ken Griffey Jr. Presents Major League Baseball was the first place I saw the ballpark. Built in 1992, Camden Yards changed aesthetic templates for Major League ballparks. The warehouse frames a beautiful backdrop for baseball and for batters' dreams. The seats are designed for viewing baseball, but the third-base line is the way to go. Legends Park holds statues of Orioles greats, the walkways bustle with food and fun, and the city itself carries a history of the birthplace of baseball immortality, Babe Ruth.

The Inner Harbor and National Aquarium are tourist destinations that boast ships straight out of Pirates of the Caribbean and over 17,000 animals. Locals have been pursuing a Loch Ness-type creature named “Chessie” since the ’30s.  My friends in the area don’t describe Baltimore as a vacation hotspot, but it sounds like a great trip to me! Unfortunately for the Twins there is no off-day and another 800 mile journey to Milwaukee to take on the rival Brewers.

Milwaukee Brewers – May 16-18
American Family Field - Capacity 41,900
2024 Attendance: 2,537,202 (Averaged 21,328 - ranked 9th out of 15 NL teams, 16th overall MLB)

The 2024 journey to Milwaukee led to something the Twins hadn't experienced there since 2021: a victory. The two-game series split finished off a winning opening road adventure and set the team up for a successful season that just couldn't sustain itself.  The Twins have been playing their interleague and border battle rivals at American Family Field (amongst the other names) since 2001, and in 64 games the Twins have held their own to the tune of a 30-34 record. Because of the unique home-and-home nature of this series, its the only National League road trip guaranteed on the schedule each season. Familiarity has bred parity for this series.

American Family Field began as Miller Park in 2001. 2020 brought new cash inflow and a new name. This retractable-roof complex looks like a combination of an airplane hangar, a Metrodome, and an advertisement convention. And yet, when the Brewers got it going on, the place also brings out an energy that can deliver electric baseball.

The Brewers isn’t just a fun name, it’s a destination reality. Local and global-level breweries make this city a beer connoisseur's playground. The Harley-Davidson Museum, Milwaukee Art Museum, and Lake Michigan coastline provide alternative travel stops for a variety of tastes. Once inside the ballpark, the immortal “sausage race” has gone digital, but the spirit remains. Bud Selig and Bob Uecker have statues and museums, and this season will carry a special meaning after Uecker's passing.

Following this week-long road trip the Twins return home to take on AL Central foes Cleveland and Kansas City in some must-win series. Will they find redemption and a winning streak to lead into those crucial games? Or will the Twins return road-weary and twice shy? How do you think this fifth trip will go Twins Territory?