No formal announcement is planned by the Twins today, team president Dave St. Peter said, but Opening Day against the Detroit Tigers will go on as scheduled Monday afternoon at Target Field.
"We will proceed as planned in playing tomorrow," St. Peter said via email, with first pitch scheduled for 3:10 p.m. The Twins would have made a formal announcement "only in the case of a postponement."
The National Weather Service forecast for Monday afternoon calls for high temperatures of 32 degrees in downtown Minneapolis, and steady winds of 10 mph, gusting to 15 mph. That would break the franchise record for coldest outdoor Opening Day, set at Metropolitan Stadium in 1962, when the temperature at first pitch was 33 degrees.
But the Twins, most of whom gathered for an informal workout on their home field Sunday morning, said the temperature won't be a big factor on the field itself. "I don't feel it. It's all up top," said Josh Willingham, pointing at his head. "You've just got to be stronger than the weather."
In the Target Field stands, however, wind chills will dip into the low 20s, according to NWS. "We have more radiant heaters than any stadium in the major leagues, and we would encourage our fans to take advantage of them," St. Peter said last week.
