St. Paul Saints to open 142-game schedule on April 6

In their first year as the top minor-league affiliate of the Twins, the St. Paul Saints will open their 2021 schedule on April 6 against the Columbus Clippers at CHS Field.

After playing shorter schedules as an independent minor-league team, the Saints will now play 142 games against six opponents in the Midwest Division of baseball's Triple-A teams. All series will be six games in length and run from Tuesday through Sunday, with Mondays being a rest or travel day.

The Saints are one of three teams that will only play opponents in their division to minimize travel because of the pandemic. In addition to Columbus, which is Cleveland's top minor-league team, their other opponents will be Indianapolis (Pirates), Iowa (Cubs), Louisville (Reds), Omaha (Royals) and Toledo (Tigers).

Game times haven't been announced yet. The Saints will have postgame fireworks show after their games on July 3 and 4, as well as on their Sept. 11 Fan Appreciation Night.

Last month, the Saints named Toby Gardenhire, the son of former Twins manager Ron Gardenhire, to manage the team.

The Twins have moved their Class AA affiliate from Pensacola to Wichita, with Class A teams remaining at Cedar Rapids and Fort Myers.

The only minor league All-Star Game this year will be at Triple-A. There has not been a decision on whether to have postseasons, and they may not be held this year due to the pandemic.

MLB reduced affiliated farm teams to 120 from 160 in the first season after the end of the Professional Baseball Agreement between Major League Baseball and the National Association of Professional Baseball Leagues, which governed the minors. The PBA had existed since 1901 but was allowed to expire at the end of 2020 as MLB took over running the minors.