Yesterday I posted about research I had done on Lead-Off Homers hit by opposition teams/players at the two most recent Minnesota Twins stadiums: Hubert H. Humphrey Dome (1982-2009) vs. at Target Field (2010-present. Today, I want to look at the lead-ff homers hit by the Minnesota Twins in the bottom of the first inning when they are playing at home.

In the Metrodome from 1982-2009, these are the numbers:

• 141 total lead-off homers by Twins players
• The month with the most lead-off homers by Twins Players during that time was May, 32
• Pitcher Bill Wegman gave up the most with 3

The list of players who hit lead-off homers for the Twins is pretty much what I would have predicted, with my favorite left-fielder during that period, Dan Gladden, sharing the lead. Here is that list:

• Dan Gladden 16
• Jacque Jones 16
• Chuck Knoblauch 14
• Shannon Stewart 13
• Kirby Puckett 13
• Cristian Guzmán. 7
• Denard Span 7
• Shane Mac. 7
• Todd Walker 5
• Matt Lawton 5

Now let’s look at the numbers for the Minnesota Twins playing in their new outdoor park, the Target Center. Again, since the 2025 season is not yet over, I am choosing to only look at the numbers from 2010-2024. A much smaller number of years. But with the change in the way the game is now played, the numbers add up quite quickly

• 159 times a Twins hitter led off the bottom of the first inning with a homer
• A total of 26 Twins did it
• August was the month that had the most hit, 33
• The team that gave up the most lead-off homers to the Twins was the Kansas City Royals, 23 times

Now let’s look at the leaderboard board. Here is where the difference in how the game is currently played really shows up:

• Brian Dozier 57
• Max Kepler 24
• Byron Buxton 17
• Edouard Julien 7
• Eduardo Núñez 6
• Luis Arráez 5
• Mitch Garver 5
• Jorge Polanco. 5
• Joe Mauer 4
• Willi Castro 3

Look at the difference between what Dan Gladden, the prototypical 1980s lead-off hitter had and what Brian Dozier had a generation later, 41! That is how much the game has changed.