Twins new ballpark news - Metropolitan Stadium
Minneapolis, Minnesota
Groundbreaking: December 20, 1979
1st American League Game: April 6, 1982 (Sea 11, Min 7)
1st NFL game: September 12, 1982 (Min 17, TB 10)
Surface: SporTurf (1982), AstroTurf (1987), FieldTurf (2004)
Architect: Skidmore, Owings & Merrill
Construction: Barton Malow
Cost: $68 Million ($2 million under budget)
Financing: $55 million in bond sales, $25 million from sale of old Metropolitan Stadium property.
Owner: Metropolitan Sports Facilities Commission
Seating capacity: 46,564 (baseball), 63,190 (football)
Playing Field Dimensions:
LF foul line: 343 ft
LF alley: 385 ft
Center field: 408 ft
RF alley: 367 ft
RF foul line: 327 ft
Outfield Fences:
Left: 7 ft. (LF fence was topped by 6' of plexiglass to a total height of 13' from 1983-1993)
Center : 7 ft.
Right: 23 ft. (RF fence was 7 feet high from 1982-84)
Hosted World Series: 1987, 1991
Hosted All-Star Game: 1985
Hosted Super Bowl: 1992 (XXVI)
By the time the 1982 season opened, the Twins were playing ball indoors. Architects made no effort to unveil a "luxury" stadium. "The idea is to get the fans in, let 'em see a game, and get them out again. That's all we want from a stadium," explained a Metrodome spokesman.
The Metrodome is covered by more than 10 acres of Teflon-coated fiberglass. It is the only air-supported dome in the major leagues, and fans enter the park through revolving doors that prevent release of the air that keeps the dome upright. The roof requires 250,000 cubic feet of air pressure per minute to remain inflated, and on at least three occasions slight tears caused by heavy snows have caused the roof to deflate. The right-field wall is 23 feet tall and covered with plastic. Called "the Big Blue Baggy" and "Hefty Bag" by players, the plastic-coated fence hides 7,600 retractable seats that are used when the stadium is in its football configuration.
Iconic Moments: October 27, 1991. World Series, Game 7. The Twins become World Champions with a 1-0 victory in 10 innings behind Jack Morris's masterful pitching. Gene Larkin's single off Alejandro Pena scores Dan Gladden with the game's only run. The game is the first Game seven to go into extra innings since the Senators-Giants Series in 1924.
January 26, 1992. Super Bowl XXVI. Mark Rypien passed for 292 yards and two touchdowns as the Washington Redskins overwhelmed the Buffalo Bills 37-24, to win their third Super Bowl in 10 years.
The good: Home-field advantage in big games: This place can get louder than any other ballpark in the Big Leagues.
The bad: One word: Hefty.
The ugly: Yeah, it's ugly. A summer's day in Minneapolis can be glorious - Twins fans deserve baseball in the beautiful mid-west sunshine.
Minnesota Twins
34 Kirby Puckett Place
Minneapolis, Minnesota 55415
(800) 33-TWINS
TV: FSN, KSTC-45
In-park dining choices: Famous Dave's
Concession items include: fajitas, fresh roasted sweet corn , pulled pork sandwiches and other BBQ favorite's from Dave's.
Minneapolis Dining guide - Best Bets
Directions & Parking
Ballpark/Tour Vacation Packages
Lower Club $44
Diamond View $42
Lower Reserved $29
Upper Box $24
Upper Club $21
Home Run Porch $20
Family Zone $14
Cheap Seats $9
Seating Chart
Purchase Tickets
Opened on April 3, 1982, the Hubert H. Humphrey Metrodome has been home to the Twins for the past 18 years. It was the third domed facility in baseball and remains the only air-supported structure of the 30 ballparks.
The Metrodome is the only stadium in the world to play host to the World Series (1987 and 1991), baseball's All-Star Game (1985), the Super Bowl (XXVI, 1992) and the NCAA Final Four basketball tournament (1992 and 2001).
Construction began on December 20, 1979 and was built by the state of Minnesota at a cost of approximately $68 million.
Located on a 20-acre site in the Industry Square district of downtown Minneapolis, the stadium has an interior volume of 60 million cubic feet and is covered by 10 acres of Teflon-coated fiberglass 1/32" thick. It is 195 feet from the highest point of the interior ceiling to the playing field.
It takes 250,000 cubic feet of air pressure per minute to keep the roof inflated.
The Metrodome includes 7,600 retractable seats in right field, the largest such section of any stadium in the world. It can be converted from baseball to football use, and vice versa, in four hours.
An additional 900 seats were added prior to the '94 season by moving both dugouts closer to the field and adding three rows closer to field level. Section 113 in the right field corner was also added to increase total capacity for baseball to 48,678.
A retractable curtain displaying the banners from the Twins' championship years was hung in right-center prior to the '96 season.
A plaza was added along Kirby Puckett Place on the west side of the Metrodome prior to the 1996 season. The area offers tents for groups of 100 to 1,000 and features a wide variety of food and beverage items. The plaza serves as a gathering spot for fans before games and hosts a pregame concert series before every Friday night home game.
The pitcher's mound is powered by an electric motor and can be raised and lowered at the push of a button. The mound weighs 23,000 pounds and is 18 feet in diameter.
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