How the Twins celebrate success: Techno music, disco balls and animal masks

MINNEAPOLIS — First, the double doors to the home clubhouse are pulled shut. Next, the house lights dim and are replaced by a singular source in the center of the room flashing like a modern disco ball.

Vapors from a smoke machine soon begin to fill the room as a JBL Partybox kicks into gear, the 3-foot-tall portable speaker delivering pulsating music at obnoxious levels.

By that point, the masks already have been dispersed, an absurd collection featuring LED-lit face guards, a rubber horse head, multiple lizards and other barnyard animals.

Then, the post-victory party commences with players dancing around the clubhouse in celebration of the day’s win in a scene that sounds akin to something out of “Lord of the Flies.”

At home or on the road, following every victory, including Friday’s 5-1 win over the Pittsburgh Pirates, Twins players gather to let loose.

#MNTwins win 5-1. Combined with Cleveland splitting a doubleheader, the Twins are up 5 in the division.

Lately, Twins have been celebrating their wins by dancing under disco lights with smoke machines and pulsating music while wearing these … pic.twitter.com/pHyAFytj58

— DanHayesMLB (@DanHayesMLB) August 19, 2023

“We need that,” Twins utility man Willi Castro said. “I know something was missing and I think we found it. Everybody’s having fun together. Keep it simple and we’re going to win a lot of games.”

About the same time Twins manager Rocco Baldelli declared “The season begins today” on a white erase board in Baltimore on June 30, the chaotic celebration was born in the clubhouse, one players are fully embracing in an attempt to enjoy the moment.

Bench coach Jayce Tingler describes the victory party as a “European techno/costume rave.”

In its earliest days before they cleaned it up, the ongoings were said to include one unidentified player who wore nothing but a mask as he pranced around the room naked.

The entire production emanated from the June 28 players-only meeting following a series sweep in Atlanta. During the lengthy session, teammates owned up to their failures, challenged each other to improve and pushed the idea of celebrating their successes.

The conversation was prompted by Baldelli entering the clubhouse and demanding players sort out their issues, ones that had lingered for more than a month. Whether it was disappointment with a stumbling offense, unavoidable outside noise distracting them or simply the ebbs and flows of a baseball season, players clearly felt the weight of a season in which they’ve been at or near the top of the standings despite playing close to .500 baseball.

During the meeting, players recognized they were far more focused on failures than successes and hoped to change that.

“When you’re struggling with not winning baseball games and you’re not doing what you think you should do, whether it’s performance, whatever that might be, I think it’s easy for the fun to get out of this game,” catcher Ryan Jeffers said. “I don’t think there’s any like, strife or conflict that caused that to leave. … It’s more embracing the good things that come out of those games. The winning, celebrating small performances, whatever that might be. We’re just enjoying the wins.”

Thus was born the postgame party.

Players have been reluctant to provide details about what goes on behind closed doors. Multiple sources refused to disclose the identity of the player who wore nothing more than a mask and his birthday suit to the party, an act that harkens back to the days of Mike Redmond’s naked batting practice at the Metrodome.

“You’ll never know,” Jeffers said with a laugh.

Baldelli tries to stay out of the clubhouse as much as possible because it’s his players’ domain. Yet during one of his recent passes through, Baldelli spotted a lizard mask. While he was curious, Baldelli didn’t feel the need to investigate.

“I don’t care,” Baldelli said. “I have no idea what’s going on with those things. It seems great, though.”

Last month, Byron Buxton remained tight-lipped when asked about developments resulting from the players’ meeting: “Y’all ain’t going to get too much out of me. … It happened behind closed doors because that’s where it’s supposed to stay.”

Still, it’s impossible for everyone to remain silent about a celebration that brings both laughter and bewilderment to those who attend.

“It just kind of happened,” infielder Kyle Farmer said. “One day there was a jukebox and one day there were masks and it got weird. But it just happened naturally and we kind of ran with it.”

After he completed the first shutout of his career on July 5, pitcher Pablo López said he cherished the moment and wouldn’t let it go by without recognition. While he was focused on his own achievement, López was discussing a developing theme for the Twins.

Even though they were leading their division — an advantage that has since increased to five games over Cleveland — after completing the toughest part of their schedule, players weren’t having fun as they continued to hover near the .500 mark.

Now, whenever they win, they celebrate, even if they’re away from the sanctity of the home clubhouse. Whether at home or away, the JBL speaker blasts music and players break out the masks. The key difference between home and road celebrations is the Twins can’t bring the smoke machine or disco lights with them on trips.

“But always the loudspeaker,” López said. “I love it. … You’ve got to celebrate every victory. It’s a long season. You can’t take any victory for granted. When they come, we need to keep the vibes immaculate. It’s just fun.”

The masks are increasing their enjoyment. After his RBI single keyed a game-winning rally in Tuesday’s win over Detroit, Royce Lewis strolled to his locker during postgame wearing a mask covered in LED lights.

The gaggle of masks was purchased online by reliever Emilio Pagán, who wanted to enhance the party after players determined they would turn off the lights and dance in celebration after victories.

The rubber animal masks were the first to arrive. Six or seven littered tables and couches across the clubhouse at the start of an early July homestand that started with a sweep of Kansas City.

When Edouard Julien was interviewed about his go-ahead, pinch-hit homer after a July 3 win over Kansas City, reporters asked why a horse head mask was sitting on his chair. Julien played it off with ignorance and suggested the mask was there when he arrived at his stall before quickly changing the subject.

The arrival of a trio of LED masks occurred right before the All-Star break, with Pagán testing them out before charging them in clubhouse manager Rod McCormick’s office.

“At the end of the day, I don’t care what it looks like, if you got the job done, you got the job done,” Pagán said.

So the Twins will dance on like nobody’s watching — well, at least nobody in the clubhouse.

They’re still trying to keep this ever-evolving celebration quiet, though it’s impossible for the smoke to clear out before the media enters the room for postgame interviews, which always prompts reporters’ questions and reluctant answers.

Try as they may, it’s difficult to miss the good vibes — and loud, techno beats — emanating from the clubhouse.

“It’s growing,” Pagan said. “I’ll say that. Hopefully it gets very chaotic and it leads to, you know, the plastic everywhere and champagne bottles and stuff. … It’d be fun to celebrate a division championship. So hopefully that’s where this goes.“

(Photo: Brace Hemmelgarn / Minnesota Twins / Getty Images)