The Twins sold discount tickets two weeks ago to boost flagging attendance, but after putting together baseball's best record, the problem now is getting large crowds into Target Field more quickly.
Games on Saturday and Sunday against the White Sox were sellouts, and their Memorial Day game against the Brewers could be as well.
The surge in attendance led to long lines Saturday and Sunday, with thousands of fans trying to enter the park through the stadium's largest entrance, Gate 34.
During the fourth inning Sunday, the Twins delivered an apology for the lines over the public address system and vowed to address the problem.
Matt Hoy, Twins senior vice president in charge of operations, pointed out that the combination of a late-arriving crowd and bag inspections contributed to the human traffic jam, and added that 65% of fans enter the park through Gates 34 and 29, located behind right field and the foul line.
He suggested fans plan to arrive earlier. And, if they can, don't bring a bag that needs to be inspected. There are separate lines for fans without bags, season-ticket holders and fans who register through CLEAR, to enter the ballpark.
"Let's say a third of them have bags," Hoy said Sunday. "So now you have 13,000 bags. Every time a bag has to be searched it takes a minute or so, which is lost down the line. So think about 13,000 minutes of delay just from the bags.
"We are considering different bag policies, which we are studying pretty hard right now, in terms of what other teams have done and what we might do here. We also have some opportunities for people to get in quicker even if there are lines out there."
Hoy also said metal detectors around the ballpark will be updated with software that will enable fans to walk through while keeping their keys and phones in their pockets.
La Velle E. Neal III