Target Field awakening from hibernation as blankets come off grass

MINNEAPOLIS (FOX 9) - It has been lights out since October for the blades of grass on Target Field, spending months and months to wait out winter.

“We put the field to bed, in the fall, playable ready to go,” said Larry DiVito, the head groundskeeper at Target Field.

On Monday, it was time to wake up those blades and start taking off the blankets. Crews started with the infield.

“We didn’t want to expose the grass to -10 [degrees],” said DiVito. “It would just set it back even more. So, we were waiting for the extreme cold to break before we really attacked the snow, went after it before we took the blankets off.”

Some blankets still remain in the outfield as officials are waiting for more snow to melt before removing them.

DiVito says in Minnesota, the Kentucky bluegrass needs some extra love and protection during the winter - especially during a winter like the one we’ve experienced the last couple of months. 

“The volume of snow, and the extreme weather,” said DiVito. “It’s been really the extreme cold that’s been more of a problem for us.” 

His concerns eased as the grounds crew revealed the grass under a beautiful blue sky. From the field to the stands, crews got to work to prepare Target Field for the upcoming Opening Day. 

“We really need the sun to be out,” said DiVito. “It doesn’t have to be 60 degrees for us to get going. But if we can get in the 40s and sunny we can be in pretty good shape.”

Opening Day for the Minnesota Twins is March 28.