The Minnesota Twins' 2010 regular, 81-game inaugural season drew more than 3.2 million fans at Target Field, setting a new, all-time attendance record.

The announcement came following yesterday's game against the Toronto Blue Jays, when the Twins all-time regular season attendance record stood at 3,223,640. This is an average of 39,798 per game.

The record attendance comes as no surprise to the team or its stalwart fans. The team said in June that it had sold more than 3 million advance tickets for the season and predicted in September more than 3.2 million fans to walk through the Target Field turnstiles by the end of the regular season.

The attendance record places the team in the top six in Major League Baseball. The New York Yankees, Philadelphia Phillies, Los Angeles Dodgers, St. Louis Cardinals, and Los Angeles Angels have higher average attendance rates.

This is the second time in franchise history the Minnesota Twins draw more than 3 million fans; the previous record was set in 1988, the year following the Twins first-ever World Series Championship. During the 1988 season, the Twins became the first American League to attract more than 3 million fans (3,030,672 fans). This number was surpassed during the 77th home game of the 2010 season at Target Field.

“This is a proud moment in the history of the Twins franchise,” Dave St. Peter, Twins President, said in a statement. “We are tremendously thankful to the fans throughout Twins Territory, not only in terms of our new attendance record, but in making Target Field the best stadium experience in all of professional sports. There is no question that our fans have created a tremendous home field advantage at Target Field.”

During the Inaugural Season at Target Field, the Twins have sold out 79 games (78 consecutively), which was another franchise record.

The New York Yankees are coming to the Twins' turf of Target Field for the playoff game that begins Wednesday evening.

-Liala Helal