Baseball:[1] Left field: 329 ft (100 m) Left center: 372 ft (113 m) Center field: 407 ft (124 m) Right center: 374 ft (114 m) Right field: 326 ft (99 m) Backstop: 42 ft (13 m)
Construction site in 2017. AT&T Stadium is visible in the background.
On May 20, 2016, the Rangers announced that they would vacate Globe Life Park. The new stadium was to be constructed in a public/private partnership and have a retractable roof.[11] The ballpark was approved on the following Election Day.[12]HKS, Inc. was announced as the architect on January 5, 2017.[3]
On January 31, 2019, the Rangers announced that the playing surface of Globe Life Field would be carpeted with synthetic grass supplied by Shaw Sports Turf, making them one of only five major league teams to play their home games on artificial turf.[13][14]
The Rangers cited weather as the reason why attendance at Globe Life Park was lower than in other baseball stadiums in major metropolitan areas, as the area is prone to high temperatures and frequent rain, and also why the venue, despite being barely two decades old, was wearing out far more quickly than ballparks of a similar age such as Jacobs Field and Coors Field. Therefore, the Rangers proposed that their new ballpark be constructed with a retractable roof. Unlike its predecessors, the new stadium's center field faces northeast rather than southeast.[15]
A new shopping mall, a Loews Hotel, and a ballpark village were planned to go along with the new stadium. After the Rangers left Globe Life Park, it was then to be renovated for football and soccer use and renamed Choctaw Stadium.
The plans to build the stadium generated a mixed reaction. The new stadium offers a more comfortable environment to watch baseball but extended existing taxes used to pay for AT&T Stadium. According to The Dallas Morning News, "The deal calls for the city to issue $500 million in bonds to help pay for the stadium. A half-cent of sales tax, 2% hotel occupancy tax and 5% car rental tax would pay off those bonds over an estimated 30 years. Voters also approved a ticket tax of up to 10% and parking tax of up to $3 at the new stadium. That money would be used for some of the Rangers' portion of the debt, which was criticized by the opposition campaign."[16]
On December 14, 2019, a section of the roof caught fire while under construction.[17]
Opening
Globe Life Field was originally scheduled to open on March 23, 2020, but because of the COVID-19 pandemic, the start of the 2020 Major League Baseball season was delayed for several months.[18] Globe Life Field opened for a high-school graduation on May 29, 2020.[8]
On July 24, 2020, the Rangers hosted their first regular-season game against the Colorado Rockies, which they won 1-0. The Rangers played two exhibition games against the Rockies on July 21 and 22 at Globe Life Field. Joey Gallo hit the first home run at the stadium on July 26.[19]
2020 MLB postseason
Because of the COVID-19 pandemic in Texas, Major League Baseball announced on September 15, 2020, that it would implement a playoff "bubble" starting with the second round of the playoffs. Globe Life Field and Minute Maid Park in Houston shared the 2020 National League Division Series second-round playoff series, with one series in Houston and the other in Arlington. The 2020 National League Championship Series and the 2020 World Series were played exclusively at Globe Life Field.[20] MLB allowed fans to attend games at Globe Life during the NLCS and World Series.[21]
The marked dimensions of Globe Life Field pay extensive homage to Rangers history, honoring all of the team's retired numbers plus key seasons in team history.[24]
All 6 games of the 2020 World Series were held at Globe Life Field, making it the first and so far only venue to host a World Series without its tenant playing in the Series; this was due to the COVID-19 pandemic necessitating a neutral ground for the series. The stadium saw Joe Musgrove throw the first no-hitter in San Diego Padres history against the Rangers on April 9th, 2021. Games 1 and 2 of the 2023 World Series (which the Rangers would end up winning in 5 games for their first championship) were hosted at the stadium. The stadium will also host the 2024 Major League Baseball All-Star Game.
Opening kickoff of the 2021 Army vs. Air Force football game at Globe Life Field
On November 6, 2021, the ballpark hosted a college football game for the first time when Army and Air Force played in the Lockheed Martin Commanders' Classic. The Black Knights bested the Falcons, 21–14, in overtime. The day prior to the football game, the ballpark also hosted its first-ever boxing matches, with the boxing teams of each academy squaring off; Air Force won 6 bouts to 4.[26][27]
Globe Life Field's football configuration has the end zones at left field and first base.
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