The Twins waited nearly five hours for a break in Thursday's afternoon showers but were able to start the game at 5 p.m. under bright sunshine.
They haven't always been able to do that. The official delay of 4 hours, 50 minutes is a Minnesota record, and an example of how modern drainage technology at Target Field allows the grass to absorb even a daylong rain and still be playable.
The Twins rewarded their fans, though, whether they stayed or not. The team announced that all tickets to Thursday's game, whether they were used or not, can be exchanged at the Target Field box office for tickets to any regular-season game after Aug. 28.
Both teams were committed to getting the game in, a desire made easier by the fact that the White Sox were flying home to Chicago after the game, and the Twins only to Cleveland, both relatively short flights. Neither team wanted to schedule another doubleheader; the Twins have already played three this season, with two more to come, including an Aug. 21 makeup game in Chicago.
The announced attendance was 27,684, and perhaps half the crowd remained in the ballpark around 2 p.m. By the time the game began, though, perhaps one-fifth of that number remained, and it continued to dwindle as the lopsided game went on.
