The mammoth stage erected for last Friday's concert featuring Kenny Chesney at Target Field did some minor damage to the outfield, and about 6,500 square feet of new sod was planted on Tuesday, team president Dave St. Peter said.
"But that's only about half of the repair work that was necessary after last year's concert," St. Peter said. "We're confident that the playing field will not only be good, but great, by Friday," when the season resumes against Cleveland.
More than 9,000 fans stood in the outfield during the show, and the stage was in place for a couple of days; it took 24 hours to completely remove it, before groundskeeper Larry DiVito could assess the damage.
"The hot weather has made it a little more of a challenge, but the grass is coming back nicely," St. Peter said. "And where it didn't bounce back right away — a pretty narrow strip adjacent to the warning track, from power alley to power alley — he installed new turf."
The Indians held a Thursday night workout on the field, and the Twins will do so Friday afternoon.
