MINNEAPOLIS \u2014 Tom Pohlad knows he can\u2019t ask Minnesota Twins fans for patience before they determine whether to support this year\u2019s club.<\/p>\n
With the franchise having fallen to unimaginable depths over the previous two seasons because of ownership missteps, the team\u2019s new executive chair recognizes the only way the club can rebuild faith with its fans is by winning now.<\/p>\n
But before the Twins\u2019 home opener could even begin, the club immediately asked for fans\u2019 tolerance. Whether it was a 57-minute pregame power outage that crippled Target Field\u2019s ticket and concession services, three hitless innings to start from the offense, or an early three-run deficit, the Twins asked more of their faithful than they probably should have Friday afternoon.<\/p>\n
Perhaps recognizing the leeway they were provided, the Twins justly rewarded the 36,042 people who spent a long, cold, windy day at their home opener by roaring back to topple the Tampa Bay Rays 10-4.<\/p>\n
Josh Bell drove in two runs, Tristan Gray belted a grand slam and finished with five RBIs, and the Twins rode a seven-run seventh-inning rally to a second straight victory. The Twins also received good news about Byron Buxton, whose forearm X-rays were negative after he was hit by a pitch.<\/p>\n
TRISTAN GRAY GRAND SLAM!!!! pic.twitter.com\/13quDQS9us<\/a><\/p>\n \u2014 Twins.TV (@twinstv) April 3, 2026<\/a><\/p>\n \u201cIt\u2019s nearly impossible to sell patience, given where we\u2019re at, which is why what happens on the field is the only thing that\u2019s going to matter,\u201d Pohlad said. \u201cWe\u2019ve got to sell winning. That\u2019s the only thing that you can sell.\u201d<\/p>\n Pohlad has been succinct since taking over in mid-December; he knows what ownership is up against with fans. A series of mistakes made by the Pohlad family since October 2023 \u2014 cutting payroll after the playoff losing streak ended and not adding players at the trade deadline in 2024, among other things \u2014 have fans down harder than ever.<\/p>\n Yet even though he wasn\u2019t surprised by it, Pohlad said he found it \u201cjarring\u201d earlier this week when The Athletic\u2019s Hope-O-Meter fan poll<\/a> suggested only 4.3 percent of the club\u2019s fan base is optimistic about this season. Still, Pohlad said three hours before the game that he thinks a club with low external expectations will win over its fans with the fight the team has shown in the majority of its games this season.<\/p>\n Then, the Twins demonstrated their resolve once again.<\/p>\n Having already fought back from a three-run deficit in the fourth inning, a challenging day for the Twins looked downright scary when Tampa Bay reliever Kevin Kelly hit Buxton on the right forearm with a 1-2 fastball in the seventh inning. With a freezing wind howling, Buxton immediately headed for the clubhouse to undergo X-rays. James Outman took over as a pinch runner, and on the first pitch, he stole second, energizing the dugout.<\/p>\n Luke Keaschall, who jump-started the tying rally in the fourth with a single and a steal, followed with an infield single. One out later, Bell singled to center, and Outman scored to make it 4-3.<\/p>\n Then, things got interesting.<\/p>\n After Ryan Jeffers reached on an error by Junior Caminero, Tampa Bay\u2019s fourth miscue, Trevor Larnach and Royce Lewis fired up the crowd when they followed with bases-loaded walks to stretch the lead to 6-3.<\/p>\n Gray followed by delivering the knockout blow. The last man to make the 26-man roster and a journeyman in his sixth organization, Gray, who already has eight RBIs this season, shook off the miserable playing conditions and a missed bases-loaded opportunity in the sixth inning by ripping a 1-1 cutter from Yoendrys G\u00f3mez for a grand slam and a 10-3 lead.<\/p>\n Calling it the coldest game he\u2019d ever played in, Gray said he stayed warm by covering his face with Vaseline, standing next to dugout heaters and occasionally slipping into the clubhouse for warmth. But after the homer, \u201cit didn\u2019t matter,\u201d he said.<\/p>\n \u201cIt just comes down to having so many opportunities,\u201d Gray said. \u201cI had three tonight. I don\u2019t know how often that happens. It was good to get the first one, and then I was a little upset about the second one, so getting a third chance, that was in my mind, for sure.\u201d<\/p>\n What was prominent in the minds of everyone was the passion displayed by fans throughout a trying event. Before Twins manager Derek Shelton answered a postgame question, he singled out the fans for staying despite the heavy rain that started to dump on Target Field in the top of the eighth.<\/p>\n A little bit of rain wasn’t going to stop this party! pic.twitter.com\/G8cDtIkbfS<\/a><\/p>\n