95-year-old Twins fan gets birthday wish at Target Field

MINNEAPOLIS (KMSP) - A devoted Minnesota Twins fan, who recently turned 95 years old, made a birthday wish the team just couldn't pass up. 

Betty Sandberg celebrated the big birthday earlier this week. But the celebration wasn’t quite over. When the Twins organization heard about Betty’s lifelong fandom, they invited her to attend Tuesday night’s home game against the Houston Astros. She got to watch the game in a suite with her family.

"Excitement,” said Betty. “I could hardly wait for the day to come."

Her love of baseball comes from years of watching and listening to games. In fact, that love stretches back to before the Twins were even in existence.

"It goes back to the Minneapolis Millers, even before the fans, so she's been a baseball fan for forever," said Bruce Sandberg, Betty’s son. 

Unfortunately for Betty, her vision has waned and she's unable to watch her beloved Twins. She still keeps the radio close by to listen to every contest. She says spending the night at Target Field is the best present she could have asked for.

"It's wonderful,” she said. “I can't say enough about it. It's just a good feeling to having them all here."

She has watched thousands of games and has seen numerous players come and go, but she still has two favorites that standout above the rest.

"Joe Mauer and his friend Justin Morneau - they've always been my pals," said Betty.

Her family says she has a Twins game day schedule on her bulletin board, so she never misses a game. Whether it's in person or on the radio, Betty remains a loyal fan for one simple reason.

"Because I like baseball," she said.