Twins are a hit in the cold opener

MINNEAPOLIS -- It was a baseball season opening game, and they came in mukluks and galoshes.

The weather outside was frightful Monday night. Jack Frost was nipping at their nose.

Still, 49,596 came to the Hubert Humphrey Metrodome, which, once they were inside and under the roof, shielded them from the seven inches of snow, temperatures in the 20s and gusts of wind that knocked their Minnesota Twins caps off.

Their just reward was a 3-2 victory over the Angels, impressive even with 161 games to go. The Angels are loaded with terrific hitters and great pitching, assuming John Lackey and Kelvim Escobar heal up enough to help this year.

But the Twins handled them on this strange opening night.

The very phrase “baseball opener” brings visions of flowers blooming, walks in the park, short-sleeve shirts. Here, you had the unmistakable feel of ice and slush under foot, the metallic sound of snowplows clanking on the pavement, the view of your own breath.

If they tailgated, the grills were to warm hands, not cook burgers. And if they tailgated, they were in need of psychological examination -- even here, where cold is a way of life and real estate is topsoil on frozen tundra.

The attendance was the best here for a home opener since 1993, when they drew 51,617.

“Impressive,” agreed Angels Manager Mike Scioscia. “And to think, when they left, probably 8,000 of them had their cars snowed in.”

It will be warm by July, and by then these deserving faithful may be rooting for something really good.

Going in, it was likely to be Torii Hunter night. The Angels center fielder played his entire career to date here, seven full seasons, and went beyond stardom to beloved star. When he signed at the end of last season as a free agent, getting a $90-million contract, Twins fans couldn’t begrudge him that, even though they knew what a loss he would be.

Then, by luck of the draw, Hunter’s first game as an Angel was back in the Metrodome, and both he and Twins fans embraced the moment. His teammates gathered in front of the dugout to watch the grand entrance, and as the local reporters swarmed and the cameras kept clicking, they appeared to be impressed and amused.

“Rock star,” said one, in general summation.

Both teams lined up along the baselines before the game, and when the introductions ended, Scioscia and Twins Manager Ron Gardenhire shook hands. Then Hunter stepped up and hugged his old manager, right at home plate, an emotional moment missed by few. The history between the two could not have been more obvious.

“The first slider I ever saw, I went to Gardy,” Hunter said Sunday. “What is that thing with a dart in it? I asked him. He said, ‘Torii, that’s a slider.’ ”

But time, and baseball players, move on. And by his second at-bat, Hunter was just another guy on the other team. For the game, he went 0 for 4 and struck out once.

“Tonight was well-deserved for him,” Scioscia said. “Hopefully now, he’ll get in the groove, get relaxed.”

By game’s end, the center field that Hunter left behind did not appear to be as devoid of comparable talent as Twins fans feared. Newcomer Carlos Gomez, acquired from the Mets, had them on the edge of their seats all night.

He went two for three with a double and stole two bases. Starting pitcher and loser Jered Weaver threw 106 pitches in his 6 1/3 innings, and must have thrown another 10 to first base in an effort to keep Gulfstream Gomez near the bag.

But Weaver’s pause-at-the-top motion was too big an opening for Gomez. Catcher Mike Napoli looked bad trying to throw him out, but Gomez was stealing on Weaver, not the catcher.

Gomez scored the winning run after Weaver committed the sin of walking him to open the fifth. Gomez stole second, went to third on a fielder’s choice and came home when Mike Cuddyer singled to left.

The Angels tried. They even got Vladimir Guerrero to the plate with a runner on second and two out in the eighth. But with the crowd on its feet and the count at 3-and-2, Guerrero took one of his mighty swings and missed.

In came Twins ace reliever Joe Nathan. Game over.

The Angels play three more here, then open at home Friday night against Texas. Their time will come. With the talent they have, their season may come.

But Monday night was Twins time. Better yet, Twins fan time.

“What a good night for our crowd, coming out on a snowy night,” Gardenhire said.

Indeed, hats off to them. But not outside.

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Bill Dwyre can be reached at bill.dwyre@latimes.com. To read previous columns by Dwyre, go to latimes.com/dwyre.