Twins to play Atlanta, Florida for first time in 2002 regular season

MINNEAPOLIS (AP) -- Kirby Puckett won't be there to hit a game-winning homer, and Jack Morris won't be available to pitch, but the Atlanta Braves will return to the Metrodome next season to play the Minnesota Twins.

Atlanta will visit Minnesota June 10-12 in an interleague series -- the first time the teams will play in the regular season.

The Twins beat the Braves 4-3 in the 1991 World Series -- one of the best series of all-time.

Minnesota also plays three other teams from the National League East in 2002 that it has never faced before. The Florida Marlins come to Minneapolis June 7-9, and the Twins play road series against the Philadelphia Phillies (July 21-23) and New York Mets (July 18-20).

The Twins round out their interleague schedule with home-and-home series against the Milwaukee Brewers -- in Milwaukee June 14-16 and in Minneapolis June 28-30.

Major League Baseball introduced interleague play in 1997, but since then teams have only played clubs from the other league in the corresponding division. The Twins, and the rest of their American League Central rivals, have only played teams from the NL Central.

Other highlights of Minnesota's 2002 schedule:

--The Twins open the season April 1 on the road against the Kansas City Royals. The season-opening road trip includes stops to play the Toronto Blue Jays and Cleveland Indians before returning to Minneapolis for the home opener April 12 against the Detroit Tigers.

--Thanks to baseball's unbalanced schedule, the Twins will again play their AL Central foes 19 times each. Seven AL teams will travel to Minnesota only once, while six will play two series at the Metrodome. The Twins, likewise, will play one road series against seven AL opponents and two against six others.

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