Tuesday, March 25

Willi Castro sported a bright green glove for the Twins’ St. Patrick’s Day game against the Pirates in Bradenton on Monday. Of course, he wasn’t the only Twin rocking green -- the club wore green hats, as has become tradition. But he was the only one who had to sort through 12 gloves to find the green one. 

Yes, twelve. 

It’s not a surprise that Castro has more than one or two gloves in his locker. He has appeared at six defensive positions, plus pitcher, during his two seasons in Minnesota. And manager Rocco Baldelli hasn’t ruled out that he could also play some first, which would leave only catcher as uncharted territory for the versatile Castro. 

But 12 gloves? 

Well, they’re not all in full circulation. That’s part of the point. Some are full, ready gamers. Some are still getting broken in.  

“I’ve got a couple that are ready to go for games,” Castro said. “There’s a couple that I’m breaking in -- like the green one, the red one -- but I can use them. But I’ve got some better ones that are ready for games. I’m trying to loosen all of them up so I have them prepared for any time. I know they’re not gonna break, but I just have them there so I can switch them every day.” 

What you might find surprising is it’s not a glove for every position. Castro has a smaller, practice glove that he uses for warmups. He has a first baseman’s mitt, since that’s a different animal entirely. But beyond that, he has infield gloves and outfield gloves. There aren’t different ones for second, short and third. 

“I use all of them,” he said. “Two outfield, I use them anywhere in the outfield, and the two infield, I use them anywhere in the infield.” 

As for the colors? Well, Castro is just a stylish guy. He said there’s not necessarily any particular story to the colors, it’s just a matter of what looks good. His current favorite is purple. 

“I just think I was trying to switch it up a little this year, getting some new colors,” he said. “I think those colors look really nice, so I got them.” 

The Twins’ home opener is two weeks away, and the club has announced details for the April 3 game, set for 3:10 p.m. CT, against Houston.  

The day begins with Breakfast on the Plaza from 6-9 a.m., with free “ballpark-inspired” breakfast for fans along seventh street outside the team store. Twins greats Tony Oliva, Kent Hrbek, Nelson Cruz, Justin Morneau and Dan Gladden, along with Kirby Puckett Jr. and Catherine Puckett, will ceremonially open the gates at Target Field at 1 p.m. 

Once fans are in the gates, the first 10,000 entrants will receive a Twins City Connect Beanie. Cruz will throw out the first pitch, and cast members from “Grease” at the Chanhassen Dinner Theater will sing the national anthem.  

Tickets are still available, starting at $9, and full details are available here. 

The Cardinals recently announced that Sonny Gray will start for them on Opening Day against Pablo López. Who was the last ex-Twin to start against Minnesota on Opening Day? 

A. Bert Blyleven 

B. Jim Kaat 

C. Francisco Liriano 

D. Camilo Pascual 

“It’s great for the guys to get ready. These are the kinds of guys we face during the season. You should face them now.” -- Baldelli, on a Spring Training schedule that has seen the Twins take long bus trips to face aces Chris Sale, Gerrit Cole and Paul Skenes 

D. Amazingly, the last time this happened was April 10, 1968, when Pascual started for the new Washington Senators against the franchise that had been the old Washington Senators. He pitched eight strong innings but lost to Dean Chance and the Twins, 2-0. Pascual was named to the Twins Hall of Fame in 2012. 

• The Smiths, “Hand In Glove” 

• The Cure, “Catch” 

• Stevie Nicks and Don Henley, “Leather and Lace”

• Michael Jackson, “Wanna Be Startin’ Something” 

• Run-D.M.C., “Tougher Than Leather” 

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