CJ HADDAD Hammond Stadium, the Spring Training home of the Minnesota Twins.

nmayberg@breezenewspapers.com

The Minnesota Twins begin a new season with a return to Fort Myers Thursday for Spring Training following last year’s run as American League Central Division winners.

This year’s Spring Training will be unlike any other.

Pitchers and catchers are due to report Feb. 23 though the public will not be allowed to attend non-game day workouts this season due to the COVID-19 pandemic. There also will be no autograph signing this year due to the COVID-19 pandemic among other changes.

The first game at Hammond Stadium will be on Sunday, Feb. 28 against the Boston Red Sox.

The Twins will play a slate of 29 games in 31 days including 14 home contests at Hammond Stadium at CenturyLink Sports Complex).

Exclusive Spring Training season ticketholder presales begin Thursday, Feb. 18, while remaining inventory will be available to the general public beginning Wednesday, Feb. 24.

Seating at each game will be limited to slightly more than 2,400 fans. The Twins have developed a physically-distanced seating plan utilizing “pods” (sold in exact sets of 2 or 4 contiguous seats only) to maximize guest comfort and safety. Due to limited capacity, season and group ticket plans were discontinued this spring.

The team’s 29 games will be against five opponents, all located on the West Coast of Florida to mitigate travel: Eight games apiece against the Boston Red Sox and Tampa Bay Rays, seven against the Atlanta Braves, four against the Pittsburgh Pirates and a pair of contests with the Baltimore Orioles.

The Twins conclude Spring Training by hosting the Pittsburgh Pirates on Tuesday, March 30.

Remaining inventory for Twins 2021 Grapefruit League home games at Hammond Stadium will go on sale to the general public beginning at 11 a.m. on Wednesday, Feb. 24, via twinsbaseball.com, the MLB Ballpark App or 1-800-33-TWINS. For all sales (presales and general public), seating “pods” must be purchased in their exact quantities of two (2) or (4) contiguous tickets; sales are restricted to one ticket purchaser per pod.

The Hammond Stadium Box Office will open Thursday, Feb. 25. On non-game days, the box office will be open from 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. from Monday through Friday, and 10 a.m. to 2 p.m., on Saturdays and Sundays. The box office opens at 9 a.m. on game days and will remain open through 30 minutes after the final out.

Other key policies for Twins spring training are as follows:

* Buffer Zones will be created between the playing field and the first row of ticketed seats adjacent to both dugouts (12 feet in distance) and bullpens (6 feet in distance). Guests are not allowed within the designated buffer zones at any time.

* Cleaning, Disinfecting and Sanitizing: Enhancements have been made to cleaning protocol, including cleaning and disinfecting all in-use seats, railings, food and beverage surfaces, elevators and restrooms, with peroxide multi-surface cleaner and disinfectant or vital oxide, before, during and after each game.

* Concession and Retail Staff Protocols, and Partitions: Partitions will be used to separate staff and guests at points-of-sale. Concession and retail staff are required to wear a face covering over their nose and mouth at all times in Hammond Stadium (and gloves while prepping or handling food), while submitting to a health questionnaire and temperature check daily upon arrival.

* Face Coverings: All Twins staff and all guests ages 2 and older will be required to wear a face covering over their nose and mouth to enter Hammond Stadium and at all times while in the ballpark, other than when actively eating or drinking in their ticketed seat.

* Bags are not allowed, with the exception of medically-necessary items, diaper bags and clutch purses (9-inch by 5-inch) only. Food items are not allowed to be carried into Hammond Stadium (factory-sealed bottles of water, 32 oz. or less, are accepted).

* Physical Distancing: All guests will be required to practice proper physical distancing (6 feet of distance) when moving about the ballpark. The Hammond Stadium Box Office (limited open windows), gates (modified entry and exit lanes), restrooms (limited capacity), retail locations (limited capacity and adjusted floorplans), and concourse and concession areas have been modified to facilitate proper physical distancing.

For more information on the Minnesota Twins 2021 Spring Training season, please visit twinsbaseball.com /springtraining.