Entering Target Field on game days will be easier than ever this season. New at the ballpark this year is the MLB Go Ahead Entry System at four gates after being limited in use last season.
"A fan goes to the MLB ballpark app where they can enroll in under 5 seconds," says MLB's Karri Zaremba. "When they've enrolled, what's happening is they're taking a live selfie capture in the MLB ballpark app that gets converted into a unique numerical ID which gets associated with their account."
That means no scanning, no ticket, and hands free.
So, why is this helpful? In simplest terms, it means no more long lines waiting to get in the ballpark.
"Once they get to a major league ballpark, they look for a clearly marked go-ahead entry lane, and they simply walk straight in. It's that easy," says Zaremba.
So far, the fans love it.
"Super easy, super quick," said one fan.
"You can just walk and be relaxed," says another.
Zaremba explains how the process works.
"The live selfie capture that you take in the ballpark app is converted into a unique numerical token," she says. "We store the token on your account, but the image is discarded. And then when you're walking through, it's doing the same process and looking for a match between the two. If there's a match, then it looks to see if you have valid tickets and if everything's true, you're good to go."
Fans who choose to use Go-Ahead Entry at Target Field may do so through a designated lane each at Gates 3, 6, 29 and 34. Sign up for the Go-Ahead Entry by using the MLB Ballpark app.
The Twins open the season on the road tomorrow in St. Louis. Pre-game at 2:30 right here on News Talk 830 WCCO with the home opener at Target Field a week from Thursday against Houston.