Twins Fans Sweat Out Doubleheader
MINNEAPOLIS (WCCO) -- The Twins have dealt with rain and storms in their outdoor stadium, but never have they dealt with excessive heat and humidity rolled into one.
The heat headed into double-digits during the double-header Monday, topping 98 degrees, and the heat index soared higher than a 100 degrees.
"What am I thinking? It's hot," said one Twins fan who used her program to fan herself before the game started.
The ticket was enough to get fans into the game, but they needed something else to make it through the game: water.
Mitch Jilek brought eight water bottles to Monday night's game. He was prepared for July baseball in Minnesota.
"We're going crazy on the water tonight! We might burn through it," he said, adding that he might not have brought enough water to last the entire game.
Some fans grabbed other cool drinks, like beer or smoothies, to help them get relief.
"It's really hot out and I'm just sweating standing here," said a fan who grabbed a strawberry smoothie. "(This is) helping a lot to cool me down."
Fortunate fans found shade, but some suffered in the sun.
"Yeah, beginning of the season, I was worried it was going to be cold, and not so much now," said a fan sitting in the upper deck in the sun.
First aid teams were stationed around the stadium -- on standby for fans who needed medical help. A couple dozen people got sick and a few even had to go to the hospital.
Regions Hospital and Abbott Northwestern in the Twin Cities reported 18 people total coming in for heat-related sicknesses.
Getting to the hospital or anywhere else was tough for those traveling Interstate 94. Two sections buckled Monday afternoon from the high heat and humidity, and with fewer repair crews because of the state shutdown, repairs could take longer than usual.
Repairs on the road and relief for fans can't come soon enough.
