The buzz is back: Twins fans flock to Target Field for Game 3

For Minnesota Twins fans waiting to get into Target Field on Tuesday, the bright fall day felt like hope for the first deep post-season run in decades.

Fans lined up 90 minutes before the doors opened at 1:30 p.m., some planning to grab a good standing-room location and others wanting to squeeze out every moment of joy in October baseball. The mood was as bright as the sunshine on the 52-degree day that required sweatshirts and sunglasses.

The Twins met the Astros in Game 3 of the ALDS, with both teams having won a game in Houston in the best-of-five series.

"Oh, we're going all the way," said Sabrina Yates, 34, of Eagan. Her friend Rachel Czech, 36, of Fridley declared, "I have high optimism."

Both women work in the legal field, bought standing-room only tickets and took the afternoon off from work, knowing opportunities to cheer Minnesota teams in playoff games aren't guaranteed to come around often.

"Minnesota Nice" was not in the game-day plan for Yates and Czech, who planned to get loud.

The sell-out crowd of 41,017 was deflated early when the Astros took a four-run lead in the first inning. The fans kept up hope, counting down the pitch clock for a couple of innings. As the game ground on without a Twins rally, crowd enthusiasm dipped with the early-evening temperature. The Astros won 9-1, and the Twins are eliminated if they lose Wednesday. If necessary, Game 5 is in Houston on Friday.

Janice Kopel of Danube, Minn., 90 miles east of the Twin Cities, was third in line at Gate 34, the main entrance, even though she had a reserved seat. Wearing a red Twins sweatshirt, she wasn't worried about catching a chill. "I'll get plenty of exercise getting up and down," she said.

Kopel's husband is a farmer who was back home on the combine for the harvest so she brought her daughter, Elizabeth Beckendorf, 33, also of Danube, who was fulfilling a lifelong wish of celebrating her birthday at a Twins' playoff game. A nursing supervisor, she moved her meetings around to take the day off from work.

"It's going to be great; we're going to do it," Beckendorf said.

First in line ahead of Kopel and her daughter was Tony Voda, 39, holding a brightly colored baseball glove to snag balls during batting practice from his standing-room location above right field. (He's experienced. Voda said he caught the first home run former Twin Kennys Vargas hit at Target Field. He gave it to Vargas, who gave him a bat, and the two remain friends.)

Voda, who lives in Golden Valley and works as an analyst, also was skipping work. "My boss knows I'm here," he said pre-emptively.

In line behind Voda was Jane Wilkens, 70, of Stillwater who is "definitely retired," and also cited the 1991 and 1987 World Series victories as the reason she still has season tickets.

She's predicting good things for the team and admitted, "It's been so long since I've actually felt hope."

Voda and Wilkens love Target Field and are hoping to match the memories of the two championships won at the Metrodome. "It was our lovable dump," Voda said.

It wasn't as cheery a few innings into the game for Voda, who was standing alone in the shade above the bullpens in center field, bummed but not yet deflated about the game or the prospects for the series. "A lot of baseball left to play," he said. "We got this."

Tony Hofmann, a St. Cloud native who spent a quarter century traveling for his career in the military and now lives in Kansas City, Mo., was seeing his first game at Target Field. Hofmann said he grew up attending games at Metropolitan Stadium in Bloomington and the Metrodome.

Fans brought big-game hopes to Target Field.

"When they make it to the World Series, I'll be here, too," Wilkens said.

To which Kopel, in line behind her, said she'd be there, too, "With a standing-room only ticket."