Trio of Minnesotans urge Target Field to be loud, proud for ALDS

MINNEAPOLIS -- Everyone talked about the atmosphere at Target Field for the American League Wild Card Series last week. Pitchers were concerned they wouldn’t be able to hear their PitchComs. Shortstop Carlos Correa realized Toronto runners couldn’t hear their third-base coach and it led to a game-changing pickoff play.

It was an environment most in the Twins’ clubhouse had never experienced before -- except for reliever Caleb Thielbar.

This was the atmosphere he associated with Twins fandom. The Northfield, Minn., native grew up attending games at the Metrodome. The enclosed structure created a setting like Thielbar had never seen before. It was loud during games and quiet enough during batting practice that he could enjoy the sweet sounds of a wooden bat making contact with a baseball.

“I mean, it was a terrible venue, but we would always get there early for BP. And you walked in and the concourse was awful, just completely separated from the field,” Thielbar said.

“But as soon as you walked through the aisle to go down the stairs, that’s when you could hear the crack of the bat, and you see everyone running around on the field. … That was just a really, really cool thing.”

Thielbar is one of three players on the Twins’ active roster who grew up within 30 or 45 minutes of Minneapolis. Reliever Louie Varland (St. Paul) and outfielder Matt Wallner (Forest Lake) each have their own personal ties to the Metrodome.

Wallner enjoyed watching his favorite players, Joe Mauer and Justin Morneau -- both of whom played at the Metrodome through 2009, before switching to Target Field. Varland remembers the time that Juan Rincon flipped him a ball in the stands that he still has today at his parents' house.

“And the Twins hold TwinsFest every year, and I met Joe Mauer and Justin Morneau,” Varland added, “and that was pretty cool, because I grew up watching them and they were my favorite players.”

So, when this trio of Minnesotans all worked their way into Game 1 of the AL Wild Card Series, the victory that snapped an 18-game postseason losing streak for a franchise they’ve rooted for since their own childhoods, it was an unfathomable moment.

Wallner started in left field and went 0-for-2, before he was replaced in the eighth. Varland was the first man out of the bullpen and recorded one out, before handing the ball over to his fellow hometown kid, Thielbar.

“It was pretty awesome,” Thielbar said. “All three of the Minnesota guys got to play in the game. That was a fun time. It’s been a long time.”

It had been a long time. For most, it was only a few seasons. For some like Max Kepler and Jorge Polanco, who have been in the organization since 2009, it was lengthier. But for these three, they had lived through this drought as fans and players since it began in 2004.

“It was awesome,” Wallner said. “Everyone knew about it and wanted to end it, but it was fun to be a part of that group that finally did after 20 years, basically. That was a lot of fun. I really enjoyed that.”

Now, the focus turns toward the AL Division Series. The Twins are ready to play at home for the first time since the raucous two-game sweep of the Blue Jays last week. With the ALDS tied, 1-1, Minnesota is confident in its chances of advancing to the next round.

It’s a concept that’s been hard to believe in over the past two decades for Twins fans. Imagining this team in the AL Championship Series almost seems foreign.

And if Wallner, Thielbar or Varland could go back to tell their younger selves that this was going to be their futures, none of them would’ve believed it.

“That would’ve obviously been a dream come true,” Thielbar said.

Along with Wallner and Varland, Thielbar is finally living through the Minnesota baseball atmosphere he remembered from his childhood. And he’s not ready to let go of it any time soon.

“They were loud and they made a difference last week,” Thielbar said. “I’m assuming they’re going to be even more now. So now that we’re advancing to the [ALDS], I just encourage them to keep doing it.”