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For a night, the twin sisters got as close as they’ll be to becoming members of the baseball team, throwing out the first pitch Saturday night for the Twins game against the Boston Red Sox.
The sisters were selected to throw out the ceremonial first pitches on a night the Twins set aside for their Sesquicentennial Celebration.
Leonard, who lives in St. Paul, is the executive director for the Minnesota Sesquicentennial Committee.
Sonneman is an attorney in Winona and a Winona County ambassador for the sesquicentennial, which celebrates 150 years of statehood.
“It’s pretty special because we’ve always thought of ourselves as Minnesota twins,” Leonard said. “I call it a happy coincidence. I’m so happy to be doing this with my sister.”
Sonneman expected the moment to be special for the sisters, who she said always have been close.
“Our parents and grandparents would tell you that when one of us got something, we always wanted another one for our sister,” Sonneman said. “To do this together is fantastic.”
Leonard said the idea for the twins to throw out the first pitch came from Sen. Ann Rest, DFL-New Hope, who pitched the idea to the Twins. Rest, who Leonard said is a huge Twins fan, is a member of the Sesquicentennial Committee.
Saturday night’s celebration at the Twins game served as a kickoff of sorts for the Minnesota Statehood Weekend Festival, May 17-18 in St. Paul.
The first 20,000 fans at the game received a postcard invitation to the event.
“I certainly hope this sparks interest (in the sesquicentennial) with sports fans,” Leonard said. “The Twins have been great to work with, and I consider it an incredible bonus being involved.”
Sonneman and Leonard were drawn to baseball and the Minnesota Twins since they can remember.
It certainly had something to do with being twins, but the sisters — born in Minneapolis — also attended games at Metropolitan Stadium in the 1960s.
Their passion for baseball continued when they attended Walter Johnson High School in Bethesda, Md., located outside of Washington.
The school is named for the Hall of Fame pitcher some consider the best ever to play the game. Johnson — nicknamed the “Big Train” — pitched for the Washington Senators from 1907-1927.
“When we went to high school, we were surrounded by the lore of one of the best pitchers,” Leonard said. “We were big baseball fans. You can’t help it when you go to Walter Johnson High School.”
Interestingly, it was the Washington Senators that moved to Minnesota in 1961 and became the Twins.
“To me baseball is full of neat stories, kind of a circle of things, like the Senators becoming the Twins,” Sonneman said. “Now, here we are pitching at a Twins game.”
The sisters said they practiced leading up to their pitches, doing their best to learn to do what came so easy to Johnson.
“I’m a little anxious, but thrilled to do it,” Sonneman said.
Added Leonard: “It’s one of those once in a lifetime opportunities.”
