MINNEAPOLIS — Target Field, home of the Minnesota Twins, is one of those wondrous new ballparks that combine modern amenities with an old-timey feel. With a capacity under 40,000, it’s the kind of stadium people describe as intimate.
Like many teams building new ballparks, the Twins were striving for precisely that feeling when they designed Target Field, which opened in 2010. An intimate setting evokes the fabled stadiums of yore, like Ebbets Field in Brooklyn or Forbes Field in Pittsburgh — not to mention Fenway Park and Wrigley Field.
Intimacy is also an important part of baseball’s self-image; it wants to be seen as a sport where fans can be close enough to the field to snag an autograph from a favorite player before a game, or catch a ball tossed by a first baseman as he jogs toward the dugout after a third out.