After their grand-slam induction into the Rock & Roll Hall of Fame in November, Minneapolis music legends Jimmy Jam and Terry Lewis are returning to town to help the Minnesota Twins get off to a rocking year at Target Field this season.

The veteran producers and songwriters have been recruited to throw out the first pitch at the Twins' home opener on Friday — a game delayed Thursday because of the cold weather that Jam and Lewis have been missing since relocating to Los Angeles in 2003.

The 3:10 p.m. matchup against the 2022 World Series-winning Houston Astros also will feature one of the ensemble cast members of the touring "Hamilton" production, D. Jerome, who will sing the national anthem. He's in town for this month's performance of the hit musical at the Orpheum Theatre.

Twins representatives said Jam (aka James Harris III) and Lewis were lead-off runners when a list of candidates was first drawn up back in January for the the opening game's first pitch.

"They really quickly rose to the top of the list as a belated celebration of their induction into the hall of fame, and a celebration of their strong ties to their hometown," Twins business communications senior manager Matt Hodson said.

Hodson noted that Jam and Lewis have personal ties to the Twins beyond general fandom: Late team owner Carl Pohlad helped them fund their first Flyte Tyme Studio in Minneapolis, he said. The famed studio opened in 1987 — the same year Kirby Puckett and his teammates won their first of two World Series, and the same year Jam and Lewis had one of the biggest-selling singles of the year with Janet Jackson's Minneapolis-made hit "Control."

In addition to many of Jackson's top tunes, Jam and Lewis also have produced and co-produced albums and songs with Mariah Carey, Mary J. Blige, Lionel Richie, George Michael, Usher, Boyz II Men and dozens of other big-name pop and R&B acts. They got their big break under Prince's tutelage as members of the Time in the early '80s.

Jam was last seen in town 11 months ago for an emotional onstage reunion with his father, Twin Cities piano man Cornbread Harris, who was performing for his 95th birthday at the Hook & Ladder in south Minneapolis. The elder Harris has his 96th birthday gig coming up there on May 11.