St. Paul Saints
Founded in1993 St. Paul, Minnesota
Team logo Cap insignia
Minor league affiliations
Class	Triple-A (2021–present)
Previous classes	Independent (1993–2020)
League	International League (2021–present)
Division	West Division
Previous leagues	American Association of Professional Baseball (2006–2020) Northern League (1993–2005)
Major league affiliations
Team	Minnesota Twins (2021–present)
Minor league titles
League titles(5)	1993 1995 1996 2004 2019
Division titles(9)	1996 1998 2004 2006 2007 2015 2016 2018 2019
First-half titles(6)	1995 1996 1997 2000 2003 2005
Second-half titles(6)	1993 1995 1996 1998 2004 2007
Team data
Name	St. Paul Saints (1993–present)
Colors	Reflex blue, red, white, black, gold[1]
Ballpark	CHS Field (2015–present)
Previous parks	Midway Stadium (1993–2014)
Owner/ Operator	Diamond Baseball Holdings[2]
General manager	Derek Sharrer
Manager	Toby Gardenhire
Website	milb.com/st-paul

TheSt. Paul Saints are aMinor League Baseball team of theInternational League and theTriple-A affiliate of theMinnesota Twins. They are located inSaint Paul,Minnesota, and have played their home games atCHS Field since 2015.^[3] They previously played atMidway Stadium from 1993 to 2014.

From their founding in 1993 through 2020, the Saints were an independent baseball team with no affiliation withMajor League Baseball (MLB). They played in theNorthern League from 1993 to 2005 and theAmerican Association of Independent Professional Baseball from 2006 to 2020. The Saints became an MLB-affiliated team in conjunction with the reorganization of the minor leagues beginning with the 2021 season. They were placed in theTriple-A East, but this was renamed the International League in 2022.

Before the arrival of the Minnesota Twins from Washington, D.C., in 1961, there was a long history of minor league baseball teams called the St. Paul Saints, as well as their crosstown rivals theMinneapolis Millers.One incarnation of the Saints participated in theUnion Association, a short-lived major league, in 1884. Asecond incarnation was active in theWestern League from 1894 to 1899, and became a forerunner of the modernChicago White Sox. Thethird and most long-lived incarnation of the Saints was active in theAmerican Association from 1915 to 1960.

As described in Lee Allen's book,The American League Story (Putnam, 1962), the team began as the Sioux City Cornhuskers franchise in a minor league called theWestern League. This circuit had reorganized itself in November 1893, withBan Johnson as president. Johnson, a Cincinnati-based reporter, had been recommended by his friendCharles Comiskey, former major league star with theSt. Louis Browns in the 1880s, who was then managing theCincinnati Reds. After the 1894 season, when Comiskey's contract with the Reds was up, he decided to take his chances at ownership. He bought the Sioux City team and transferred it to St. Paul, where theSt. Paul Saints enjoyed some success over the next five seasons.

In 1900, the Western League changed its name to theAmerican League. It was still officially a minor league, a part of the National Agreement and an underling of theNational League. The National League gave permission to the American League to put a team in Chicago, and on March 21, 1900, Comiskey moved his St. Paul club to the South Side, where they became theChicago White Sox.

Another team called the Saints playedMinor League Baseball in theAmerican Association from 1901 to 1960. The Saints finished first in the American Association nine times, and won theLittle World Series in 1924. During this period, the Saints were a farm club of theChicago White Sox (1936–1942), theBrooklyn Dodgers (1944–1957), and theLos Angeles Dodgers (1958–1960).

During the 1948 season, Brooklyn DodgerRoy Campanella was reassigned to the Saints. On May 18, he become the first person to break thecolor barrier in the American Association when he took the field in a game.^[4][5]

The Saints played streetcar home and away double headers with their local rivals, theMinneapolis Millers. When theMinnesota Twins came to town in 1961, the Saints became theOmaha Dodgers while the Millers ceased operations and their role as affiliate to theBoston Red Sox was filled by theSeattle Rainiers.Lexington Park served as the Saints' home stadium for most of those years.

During the six decades of the original American Association minor league, the Minneapolis Millers and St. Paul Saints engaged in vigorous rivalry known as the Streetcar Series. This series has been documented in a book by Rex Hamann entitledThe Millers and the Saints, Baseball Championships of the Twin Cities Rivals (2014).

The current inception of the St. Paul Saints was formed in 1993 in theNorthern League, one of several independent leagues not affiliated withMajor League Baseball. The Saints are known for promotions that are sometimes over-the-top even by the standards ofMinor League Baseball. In this regard,Mike Veeck, owner of the team from its inception until 2023, was seen as following in the footsteps of his fatherBill Veeck, who was famous for conceiving outlandish promotions as an owner of the major leagueSt. Louis Browns,Cleveland Indians, andChicago White Sox.Marvin Goldklang and actorBill Murray were also founders and owners of the team with Veeck until 2023.^[2]

Despite the considerable naysaying at their inception, the Saints became one of the most successful teams in the Northern League and all of independent baseball. From 2002 to 2004, the Saints saw severely reduced attendance, owing partially to renewed interest in theMinnesota Twins of Major League Baseball, who won the 2002, 2003, and 2004American League Central Division championships. In spite of an initially cool, if not outright hostile reception, the Saints and their major league neighbor (less than 10 miles (16 km) away) have worked together for several years to promote the sport of baseball.

The Saints have figured prominently in the creation of modern independent baseball. The team has been featured in books (Rebel Baseball by Steve Perlstein, 1993;Slouching Toward Fargo by Neal Karlen, 1998) and a cable network series (Baseball, Minnesota,FX Network, 1996–97). Mike Veeck wrote a book that covered the mantra "Fun is Good" (2005) and describes the business approach he has used for many years. The team's history is also featured in the documentary filmFor The Fun Of The Game, which was released in 2018.

On May 31, 1997, the Saints became the first professional men's baseball team sinceintegration to have a female on their roster.Ila Borders, a pitcher, played with the team out of the bullpen for a month before being traded.

On September 29, 2005, the Saints left the Northern League, along with theLincoln Saltdogs,Sioux City Explorers, and theSioux Falls Pheasants to start theAmerican Association for the 2006 season.

In June 2009, the Saints began a push to build a new stadium in Downtown Saint Paul. The proposed 7,500-seat stadium would be located in the Lowertown neighborhood near a planned maintenance facility for theMETRO Green Line light rail. The city of Saint Paul requested $25 million in its 2010 bonding wish list to the Minnesota Legislature.^[6][7][8][9]

During their final 5 years in theAmerican Association and their first 5 years inCHS Field, the Saints consistently led the league in attendance, averaging more than 8,000 fans in the regular season during the period of2015-19.^{[10][11][12][13][14]}

In 2020, the Saints competed as one of six teams in a condensed 60-game season as a result of theCOVID-19 pandemic.^[15] They played much of their season away from their home stadium, CHS Field, and were instead based atSioux Falls Stadium, where they shared a home field with theSioux Falls Canaries. On August 4, 2020, the Saints returned to play at CHS Field.^[16]

The beginnings of a closer relationship with the localMajor League Baseball franchise, theMinnesota Twins, came in the summer of 2020. Due to the pandemic, the2020 MLB season was modified in several ways, including the cancellation of the 2020Minor League Baseball season. Because of this, teams were allowed to usetaxi squads located at nearby facilities where non-active minor league players were allowed to train. The Twins made use of the Saints' CHS Field facilities as home for their taxi squad.^[17]

Notable players to have played for the Saints during their independent baseball years includeShane Costa,Glenn Davis,J. D. Drew,Leon "Bull" Durham,Gavin Fingleson,Dan Johnson,Brandon Kintzler,Kevin Millar,Minnie Miñoso,Jack Morris,Darryl Motley,Matt Nokes,Rey Ordóñez,Tanner Scheppers,Dave Stevens,Darryl Strawberry andCaleb Thielbar.

Due to the2021 full-scale reorganization of Minor League Baseball, there was much speculation as to what would happen to independent leagues such as the American Association and specifically the Saints.^[18][19] On November 11, 2020, it was reported that the Minnesota Twins ended their 18-year affiliation with theirTriple-A affiliate, theRochester Red Wings. At this time it was also reported that the Saints were a front-runner to be the Twins' new Triple-A affiliate. The main barrier to a deal was said to be the $20 million fee required for affiliation.^[20] The Twins aided in this by becoming minority shareholders in the Saints and placing their Triple-A affiliation in St. Paul beginning with the 2021 season.^[21] The Saints were organized into theTriple-A East.^[22] At a distance of 12.9 miles (alongInterstate 94, including surface streets), CHS Field is the closest Triple-A ballpark to its MLB parent team.

The Saints began competition as a Twins affiliate on May 4, 2021, with an 8–2 loss to theOmaha Storm Chasers atWerner Park inPapillion, Nebraska.^[23] St. Paul ended the season in third place in the Midwestern Division with a 61–59 record.^[24] No playoffs were held to determine a league champion; instead, the team with the best regular-season record was declared the winner.^[25] However, 10 games that had been postponed from the start of the season were reinserted into the schedule as a postseason tournament called the Triple-A Final Stretch in which all 30 Triple-A clubs competed for the highest winning percentage.^[25] St. Paul finished the tournament tied for seventh place with a 6–4 record.^[26] In 2022, the Triple-A East became known as theInternational League, the name historically used by the regional circuit prior to the 2021 reorganization.^[27]

In March 2023, it was announced thatThe Goldklang Group was selling the team toDiamond Baseball Holdings for an undisclosed sum.^[2] Diamond Baseball Holdings owns a number of minor league teams, including theIowa Cubs and the Minnesota Twins' Class AA affiliateWichita Wind Surge.^[2]

In an attempt to gain publicity in a metropolitan area that hosts five major pro sports teams and amajor college program, the Saints create unique promotions that have received media attention numerous times.^[28]

• The Saints celebrated the 40th anniversary ofAnimal House on August 14, 2018, by staging the world's largest food fight after the completion of the fifth inning against the Sioux Falls Canaries. Approximately 8,000 fans participated.^[29]
• On August 22, 2017, the Saints held the world's largestTwister game, with over 56,000 dots painted on the outfield grass.^[30]
• On July 21, 2015, in an event sponsored byMy Pillow, the world's largestpillow fight was held after the second inning, with 6,261 participants. The event was hosted byStephen Baldwin.^[31] Additionally, in honor of the 40th season ofSaturday Night Live, former cast memberJoe Piscopo performed the national anthem in his impression ofFrank Sinatra, and made other appearances throughout the game.^[32]
• A May 11, 2013, exhibition game between the Saints andGary SouthShore Railcats was played withoutumpires. The team instead had a judge, in a judicial robe, call balls and strikes from behind the pitcher. Calls at first and third bases were made by a "jury" of 12Little League players, with the judge able to overrule any calls.^[33]
• In August 2012, as part of a regional conference held by theMinnesota Atheists, the Saints held "A Night of Unbelievable Fun", where the team wore alternate jerseys branding themselves as the "Mr. Paul Aint's". The promotion was reprised in subsequent seasons.^{[34][35][36][37]}
• On July 23, 2011, the Saints celebrated National Hot Dog Day and parodiedAnthony Weiner and hisfirst sexting scandal. The first 1,501 fans age 18 or older received "Tweeting Wiener Boxer Shorts", depicting a blue bird taking a picture of a hot dog, or "wiener". The bird was deliberately drawn to resemble the logo ofTwitter, the social media site that Weiner used to send links to indecent photos.^[38]
• The Saints announced a giveaway for their May 23, 2009, game against the Sioux Falls Pheasants of 2,500 bobblehead dolls dressed as theSesame Street characterCount von Count, supposedly celebrating the 40th anniversary of the series. The Saints' version of this doll, however, had the face ofAl Franken on one side andNorm Coleman on the other and was named "Count vonRe-Count"—referring to the prolonged recount in the2008 U.S. Senate election between the two men. The Saints made further jabs at the race:^[39]
  • The ceremonial first pitch was thrown byDean Barkley, who ran in that election as athird-party candidate.
  • Fans were asked during the game to spin the heads of their dolls to either Coleman or Franken. Attorneys were present to count the "votes" from this process, poking fun at the extensive involvement of attorneys in the recount process. The team's website stated that fans could challenge the "results" at the team's Fan Services booth during the game.
  • The team also facetiously stated on its site that it would not make the results of that night's game official until mid-June—around the time that theentireMinnesota Supreme Court was scheduled to rule on Coleman's appeal of a panel ruling that Franken had won. (The Court issued its ruling in Franken's favor on June 30, with Coleman then conceding.)
• In May 2008, the Saints announced the giveaway of 2,500 bobble foot dolls, ostensibly to celebrate National Tap Dance Day. The dolls, which featured two feet visible beneath the door of a bathroom stall, were covered in the national news for their reference to SenatorLarry Craig, who pled guilty to soliciting sex in aMinneapolis–Saint Paul Airport restroom in August 2007.^[40]
• In August 2007, the Saints announced that rubber dog toys would be given out, as a jab to thefederal dogfighting case involvingAtlanta FalconsquarterbackMichael Vick.^[41]
• In April 2006, the Saints announced that rubber boats would be given out during a May 27, 2006 game, to honor the 30th anniversary of the television showThe Love Boat. However, details of the promotion indicated that it was intended as a jab at the2005 boat scandal involving theMinnesota Vikings, where several members of the team were allegedly involved in illicit behavior on a private cruise. The promotional rubber boats used the same color as the Vikings uniforms (purple and yellow) and were namedMinnetonka Queen (a reference toLake Minnetonka, where the cruise took place).^[28]
• On May 8, 2005, the Saints hosted aMother's Day exhibition game against theSioux Falls Canaries which began at 5:35 a.m. and set an unofficial record for earliest game time in baseball history. 2,253 fans attended the 6-6 tie, with about 500 of them tailgating overnight in the parking lot. Free cereal was given away and all ticket sales went to charity.
• In August 2004, the Saints held a Bobblehead Election to tap into the campaign buzz around the election year. Fans were told to select either a John Kerry or George Bush bobblehead as their "vote." The stunt was capped off with a speech by the winning bobblehead. A real donkey and a donkey dressed like an elephant (the Saints were unable to obtain a real elephant) added to the atmosphere.^[42]
• In August 2003, the Saints held "Randy Moss Hood Ornament Night", poking fun atRandy Moss, then a wide receiver for the Vikings. Earlier that year, Moss was involved in an incident where he bumped a traffic control officer with his car while he attempted to make a turn.^[28]
• During the 2002 Major League Baseball labor negotiations, the Saints gave away seat cushions with pictures of commissionerBud Selig on one side andplayer's association Executive DirectorDonald Fehr on the other.^[28]
• In 2002, in response to Selig's controversial decision to end theMLB All-Star Game in a 7–7 tie, the Saints gave outneckties (or "ties") with Bud Selig's image.^[28]

Specific

General

• aabfan.com – yearly league standings & awards (American Association)
• nlfan.com – yearly league standings & awards (Northern League)

• Official website
• nlfan.com Saints Guide (Northern League 1993–2005)
• aabfan.com Saints Guide (American Association 2006–present)

• Former American Association of Professional Baseball teams
• International League teams
• Minnesota Twins minor league affiliates
• Northern League (baseball, 1993–2010) teams
• Professional baseball teams in Minnesota
• Sports in Saint Paul, Minnesota
• Triple-A East teams

• CS1: unfit URL
• Use mdy dates from December 2020
• Articles with short description
• Short description is different from Wikidata
• Articles with hCards