The Twins' mascot race has a distinctly Minnesota flavor

Paying homage to the state of Minnesota, the Twins regularly trot out mascots to showcase a few of the state's most notable icons: Target, walleyes, mosquitoes, loons and Babe the Blue Ox.

Then, they make 'em run.

Bullseye The Dog, Wanda The Walleye, Skeeta The Mosquito, Louie The Loon and Babe The Blue Ox step out from behind the left-centerfield wall after the bottom of the fourth inning each game. And then they go to work, embarking on a sprint from left centerfield around the outfield wall toward either third or first base, depending on the day.

Brooke Dotson, a corporate partnership intern with the Twins who manages the racers, said participants have had complaints about every costume relative to its ability to win the race. She said each costume has its advantages and disadvantages.

Costumes are filled mostly by Target employees (40 games) with season ticket holders (20) and organizational selections (21) filling out the 81-game schedule.

 Bullseye took the crown in 2012, winning 27 races, with Wanda in second with 18. Bullseye has an early lead in 2013, with 11 victories, but is fighting off Skeeta - who has 10. Stats were not kept during the race's inaugural season in 2011.

-- Mike Nelson / MLB.com Real-Time Correspondent