Today we headed north from the campground and found a Walmart to restock a bit and scope out the route and parking location for tonight's Texas Ranger's baseball game. So a Walmart is a Walmart except when you are in Texas and they stock Texas stuff! Like Lone Star beer and Whataburger Spicy Ketchup!! I am already getting orders from our kids, so it is a good thing we have spare weight capacity in the coach! Life's little pleasures!
Later today we drove the 5 miles from our campground to the Globe Life field, home of the Texas Rangers. As mentioned before we only have a handful of stadiums yet to visit, Globe Life field being one of them. Anytime we can catch a home game it is a bonus. We usually shoot for day games rather than night games, but in the case of the Texas Ranger, we did not have a choice.
We purchased our tickets and parking pass in advance and as with most of the stadiums this day and age, most everything is cashless. They even tell you on their web sites, "Leave your cash at home!" Your parking pass and your tickets to get into the game are all digital, and screen shots are not accepted. Once you enter the stadium, it remains cashless. Food and souvenirs are all cashless.
As with most venues we visit, we do our homework in advance. In the case of Globe Life field, we exchanged emails with them about our very long and very wide truck. The consensus was Parking Lot D, and they nailed it. Lot D is used for RV's and buses, and it is just a short walk to the stadium. We bought a parking pass for that lot and when we arrive the attendant pointed us to a nice spot with ample room for the big ol' brown truck.
From there we headed to the stadium. The last time I was here the Rangers played at The Ballpark in Arlington. The Globe Life field opened in 2020 from what we have read.
The stadium is nothing spectacular from the outside, but the inside did not disappoint. It's capacity is 40,300 although tonight's game only drew 17,430 attendance. It has a 5.5 acre retractable roof with translucent panels that pass natural sunlight. From their web site: "The roof can open or close in 12 minutes. Fun fact: The retractable roof at Globe Life Field is the largest single-panel operable roof in the world and weighs a whopping… 24 million pounds! Globe Life Field does not have a grass field, but features an artificial synthetic turf. The Rangers chose turf due to issues with growing natural grass in retractable roof stadiums." When we got there the roof was closed, but prior to game start they opened it up.
One of our first tasks was to find guest services and get our MLB Passport stamped. They also provide "first game: certificates and here at Globe Life they provide a button!
Doreen getting her MLB Passport stamped and our certificates and buttons.
Our seats were in section 108 which is on the third base side, our preference because the home team is usually on that side. Attendance was light today and we arrived early.
A few more pictures from the stadium and the game:
Texas flag made out of balls
Pre-game with an interview on the field
The new timer visible on the right. In an effort to create a quicker pace of play, a 30-second timer between batters was implemented in 2023. Between pitches, a 15-second timer will be in place with the bases empty and a 20-second timer with runners on base.
Have a look at this beautiful 2023 Toyota pickup, wrapping a in a baseball glove leather look. Wow!
A view at night
The Texas Rangers beat the Kansas City Royals 11-2 with a grand slam in the 6th inning and solid pitching and hitting throughout the game. We are glad we had the opportunity to visit this beautiful stadium and to see a game while we were in the area.
Tomorrow we may head to Fort Worth, yet to be determined.
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