Interactive app allows fans to play along

Published Jul. 26, 2012 1:59 p.m. ET

foxsports

MINNEAPOLIS — After its first season in 2010, Target Field underwent several changes to help enhance the game day experience for fans. Now, the Minnesota Twins and Target Field are adding yet another way for fans to connect to the action.

The Twins, partnering with MLB Advanced Media, announced Thursday that they have launched a new mobile game called "At the Plate," which allows fans at Target Field to predict what will take place on the field during the game. Fans who correctly predict certain events throughout the game are awarded points. The section at Target Field that accumulates the most points that game is the winner, and each fan in that section is eligible for a prize.

"This new game is really a way for fans of all interest levels to interact with the baseball game at a whole new level," said John Avenson, the Twins' vice president of technology. "Rather than detract from the game at hand, it actually enhances it and engages fans in a way that has never been done before."

The "At the Plate" game is part of MLB's "At the Ballpark," a free app for mobile devices. It is currently available for only iOS devices. The interactive game is part of a movement by the Twins to integrate technology and baseball. Target Field has free wireless Internet (TwinsWiFi), which allows fans to connect while at the park.

The mobile game will be available beginning with the Twins' game Friday at Target Field against Cleveland, according to Chris Iles, the team's corporate communications manager.

Once the app is opened, fans must choose which section they're sitting in. The game can be played before the Twins bat in the bottom of the fourth, fifth and sixth innings of each game. Predictions can then be made as to what the Twins will do while at the plate.

Picks for the bottom of the fourth inning, for example, must be made before or during the top of the fourth inning. For each inning, fans may choose up to three of eight possible events: single; double; triple; home run; strike out; walk; stolen base or grand slam.

The "At the Plate" game is unique to Target Field and the Twins and was developed by Minneapolis-based Sportsdigita, a digital sports marketing agency.

"Digital is truly the name of the game right now," Sportsdigita president Angelina Lawton said in a statement. "Sports franchises, now more than ever, are incorporating these platforms into their business strategy."

Follow Tyler Mason on Twitter.