On the road (again) with the 2022 Twins

In September of 2019, my Mom and I attended a couple of Twins/Guardians tilts at Progressive Field in Cleveland. This continued a long-standing tradition—and favorite pastime—of mine: following the Twins to ballparks other than Target Field. Thus far, I’ve seen the Twins bat first in San Francisco, Los Angeles (AL), St. Louis, Arlington, Milwaukee, Cleveland, Kansas City, & Chicago (AL). I’ve also witnessed non-MN affairs in LA (NL), San Diego, & New York (AL).

Unfortunately, a fan-less 2020 and still-pandemic-affected ‘21 put the kibosh on baseball-related travel for some time. I’m hoping that the ‘22 campaign will afford me more opportunities to gas up the new 2021 Hyundai Kona & hit the highway. With Mother Nature having just dumped a foot of snow at my Mankato, MN doorstep, now seems like the perfect time to dream of sunny summer days exploring the baseball territories.

So, here are some Twins road-trip opportunities I’m eyeing for next year:

• April 15-18 @ Boston

My fondness for Beantown has already been well-established, so getting to Fenway Park would truly be a dream. My biggest concern? Fitting into seats built to accommodate the midgets and dwarves that apparently inhabited early 20th century society (I’m 6’8”).

Staff Photo By Matt Stone/MediaNews Group/Boston Herald

• June 3-5 @ Toronto

Other than a childhood trip to the Winnipeg Zoo & an adolescent fishing expedition, I’ve never really ventured much into our neighbor to the north. The Blue Jays have cultivated quite a roster of talented & exciting young stars, and seeing old friend Jose Berrios spin it again would be fun.

• June 17-19 @ Arizona

At this point, I’m fairly convinced that my parents are going to retire to Arizona (who doesn’t, really?) seeing as how many desert hiking trips they’ve taken to that region the last few years. It shouldn’t be hard to convince them to let me tag along next summer and make a stop at Chase Field for some baseball and—perhaps just as importantly—a few hours of air-conditioning.

Photo by Christian Petersen/Getty Images

• July 8-10 @ Arlington (Rangers)

It never ceases to amaze me that the Globe Life Park I marveled at in 2015 now has a 2.0 version. I absolutely loved the atmosphere of Texas baseball (hoedowns during the 7th inning stretch!) and, truth be told, also kind of like the notion of not being covered in sweat the entire nine innings. The biggest downside? That interminable drive through Oklahoma. Even at 80 mph it seemingly takes a lifetime and a half.

• July 23-24 @ Detroit

Coming out of the ‘22 All-Star Break, the Twins actually have a scheduled Saturday doubleheader in Motown. Potentially a great opportunity for me to complete the AL Central ballpark circuit. Plus, didn’t someone around here mention how the Twins & Tigers may be battling each other for division supremacy soon? :)

• August 9-14 @ LA Dodgers & LA Angels

This could be my coup de grace of all baseball trips in ‘22. Not only would a week of West Coast baseball be awesome, but I have familial ties in Tinseltown that would facilitate such a retreat. In the words of John McClane from definitively-a-Christmas-movie Die Hard:

While obviously not the only exotic & distant locales the Twins will find themselves next summer, those are the ones I’m currently saving vacation days for. Any suggestions or plans of your own?