Twins' April home games had worst attendance since 2019
It was a gloomy month at Target Field, and we're not talking about the weather.
The big picture: The Twins drew an average of 17,030 fans per game in April — the fifth-worst in MLB this year, and the team's second-worst month for attendance since it left the Metrodome in 2009, according to an Axios analysis.
We didn't count two seasons with heavy COVID restrictions on fans at Target Field, which has a capacity of 38,544.
Case in point: Fewer fans turned out on April 14 (10,240) than for any other non-COVID Twins home game since 2010.
Of the 15 smallest crowds in Target Field history, five have come this month.
The on-field product has given fans few reasons to buy more tickets. A late-season collapse that cost the Twins a playoff spot last year carried over into this season, with losses in 12 of the team's first 17 games.
What they're saying: Some of the smaller crowds might also stem from a membership program the team debuted this year, club spokesperson Dustin Morse told Axios.
The program features flexible ticketing, so members may have swapped their April seats for a game in warmer months, Morse explained.
The other side: Minnesota sports fans are voting with their feet, The Athletic's Aaron Gleeman argues.
Many are rebelling against Twins ownership's "very difficult business decision" to slash payroll after an inspiring 2023 season, Gleeman wrote.
Some may be more drawn in by the Timberwolves and Wild 's spring playoff runs.
The intrigue: April weather usually keeps fans at home — but this spring has been no colder or wetter than usual, according to our analysis of game day climate data.
This April's average game day high (59.5) was slightly warmer than in previous years (58.5).
About a quarter-inch of rain fell on game days, which is typical.
For comparison, the 2019 Twins drew the smallest early-season crowds of any Target Field team to date: an average of 17,008 per game.
Game days in April 2019 were cold (average high: 50.9) and saw more than 1.3 inches of rain.
Reality check: 2019 showed that empty April seats aren't always an omen.
That year's "Bomba Squad" won an AL Central title — and was the last Twins team to draw more than 2 million fans.
What's next: Team officials aren't "hitting the panic button" yet, Morse said, noting they still believe hitting the 2 million-fan benchmark is possible this season.
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