By Bobby Ross Jr.

MINNEAPOLIS — I checked Target Field off my bucket list over the weekend.

I’ve now experienced MLB games at 22 current ballparks (and 27 overall). I’ll rank my favorites below.

On a reporting trip to Minnesota, I saw my beloved Texas Rangers (the defending World Series champions!) play the Twins on Friday night and Saturday afternoon.

As happened last year when I made my first visits to Wrigley Field in Chicago and Petco Park in San Diego, the Rangers lost both games. I’m in a bit of a road slump, although Texas did win last season when I returned to Citi Field in New York.

My quick assessment of Target Field, which opened in 2010: Amazing downtown setting. Loud, devoted fans. Friendly, welcoming staff (even to an out-of-town fan sporting Rangers attire).

Bottom line: I loved it.

On Friday night, Ethan Bilbrey, who preaches for the Richfield Church of Christ, and I parked at the Mall of America in Bloomington and took the light rail to Target Field.

With the Minnesota Timberwolves playing the Dallas Mavericks in the NBA Western Conference Finals at the Target Center next door, the downtown area brimmed with people and excitement — and even a street preacher with a loudspeaker warning of hellfire and brimstone.

Patrick Doherty and Steve Countryman — who serve on the ministry staff of the Woodbury Church of Christ — met us at the ballpark, along with Patrick’s son Liam. We all had a terrific time, although they might have enjoyed it just a little more since their team won!

I headed to the Minneapolis Central Church of Christ (which I first visited in 2021) to do some reporting Saturday morning. I wasn’t sure until the last minute about going to the game Saturday afternoon.

But finally, I splurged on a ticket that I thought was eight rows behind the Twins dugout and caught an Uber to the ballpark. To my surprise, Row 8 actually ended up being the fourth row behind the dugout (and they say journalists have trouble with math). I had an incredible view of my team’s dramatic, late-inning loss.

And I enjoyed meeting Ryan Harris, a Pittsburgh Pirates fan from North Carolina who sat beside me. Like me, Ryan is on a mission to see games at every MLB stadium. For him, like me, Target Field made 22 current ballparks checked off his bucket list.

The final scores notwithstanding, I couldn’t have asked for a better baseball weekend. And as I drove to the airport to return home Sunday afternoon, the Rangers finally beat the Twins. Perhaps all they needed was for me to stay away. 😂

My ballpark rankings

Below, I rank the 22 current MLB stadiums I’ve visited in tiers.

Please realize that this is totally subjective and also subject to change based on my whims and aging mind.

• A league of its own: Globe Life Field in Texas (I mean, come on, I’m a Rangers fan. This ballpark will always rank No. 1 on my list, especially after I witnessed the World Series Game 1 heroics last October).

• Hall of Fame national treasures: PNC Park in Pittsburgh. Petco Park in San Diego. Wrigley Field in Chicago. Dodger Stadium in Los Angeles. Oriole Park in Baltimore. Fenway Park in Boston (Fenway makes the list mainly because of its history; the seats and amenities are not the best).

• All-Star ballparks: Oracle Park in San Francisco. Comerica Park in Detroit. Target Field in Minneapolis. T-Mobile Park in Seattle. Coors Field in Colorado. Busch Stadium in St. Louis. Progressive Field in Cleveland. Great American Ball Park in Cincinnati. Kauffman Stadium in Kansas City.

• Solid starters: Nationals Park in Washington. Angel Stadium in Los Angeles. Citi Field in New York. American Family Field in Milwaukee. Guaranteed Rate Field in Chicago.

• What’s that banging noise?: Minute Maid Park in Houston.

• To be determined (in order of their rank on my bucket list): Yankee Stadium in New York. Truist Park in Atlanta. Citizens Bank Park in Philadelphia. Rogers Centre in Toronto. loanDepot park in Miami. Chase Field in Phoenix. Tropicana Field in St. Petersburg, Florida. Oakland Coliseum.

• • •

• Former ballparks where I saw games: Old Busch Stadium in St. Louis. Turner Field in Atlanta. Shea Stadium in New York. Arlington Stadium in Texas. Globe Life Park in Arlington (I couldn’t believe they built a new ballpark because this one was the best; but I changed my mind the first time I sat in 74-degree comfort on a 107-degree afternoon).

Featured photo by Bobby Ross Jr.