The Minnesota Twins begin a busy week Tuesday night at Target Field ahead of next week's All Star break and it starts with what should be a very popular three game series for the fans as the Chicago Cubs come to town.
The Twins last hosted the Chicago Cubs in May 2023, with more than 30,000 fans attending each game of that three game series, making it among the most well attended home stands for the Twins that season.
Matt Hodson with the Twins says the Cubs are always a big draw.
"They're known worldwide and they travel well anywhere they go," Hodson says. "And no difference here in the Midwest, especially the Twin Cities. A lot of Chicagoans around here, and we're expecting big crowds in the next three nights for Twins-Cubs and hopefully some exciting baseball on tap."
Hodson with the Twins says opposing fans have taken notice when it comes to Target Field and they'll expect plenty of Cubs fans to make the trek here and swarm downtown too.
"It's one that fans across the country mark to come to just for, again, it's reputation of being a beautiful place to watch a ballgame with a great guest experience from the moment you enter the gates through the end of the ball game when you leave," Hodson says.
Target Field's reputation continues to grow across all of MLB - even if fans are used to those 'friendly confines' on Chicago's north side.
"Every year we're in the top five to 10 ranked ballparks in the country by any merit, any metric you choose, whether that's just the ballpark aesthetic itself, the food and drink, the guest experience," Hodson notes. "You add it all up and it's on the shortlist for people of ballparks they need to and want to come to."
Later this week, another rarely seen team, the Pittsburgh Pirates, come to Target Field. That team brings one of baseball's best arms setting up what should be a marquee pitching matcchup - but that's not all.
"The possibility Saturday, you're gonna have Paul Skenes versus Joe Ryan, the starting pitching matchup," Hodson says about the dynamic young arms. "That's also Byron Buxton bobblehead day. Sunday's our Barbie theme game day."
Next week marks the All Star break, with the Home Run Derby Monday, and the All Star Game Tuesday night in Atlanta. So far, it's just Byron Buxton there to represent the Twins. Just announced Monday afternoon, Buxton will now compete in the Home Run Derby as well.
But if there are any players that pull out of the game for injuries, don't be shocked to see Ryan or even Jhoan Duran get the call up to the AL squad.
Twins manager Rocco Baldelli says Joe Ryan's eight wins and 2.76 earned run average is as good as any pitcher in the AL.
"He'd totally loved to be out there and pitching in an All-Star game, and just being acknowledged as one of the best pitchers in the game because he is," says Baldelli.