Subdued debut at Globe Life Field
ARLINGTON, Texas – For the Texas Rangers, July 24 was to be a monumental day. After four years, 6 million man hours of labor and construction costs of $1.2 billion, opening night for their new home ballpark had arrived.
But even with a 1-0 win over Colorado in the first game at Globe Life Field, it was somewhat of a bittersweet event for the franchise.
“There will be some level of satisfaction and accomplishment for everybody in the organization who has put in so much time and effort to bring this facility to life,” says Rob Matwick, the team’s executive vice president of business operations. “But not having guests here to enjoy it is a disappointment.”
He’s in his 35th season of working in big league baseball, but the events of 2020 are unprecedented: “It’s like no other season I’ve ever experienced.”
Major League Baseball started the season on July 23 and 24 with no fans in the stands due to the COVID-19 pandemic, so the Rangers were in the same situation as the other 29 teams. But they were the only ones with a gleaming new stadium to show off.
In the fan-less opener, starter Lance Lynn picked up the win as the two teams managed only three hits each. The game’s run happened in the sixth inning when Danny Santana and Rougned Odor each doubled.
During the pregame introductions of Rangers players, an assemblage of cheering fans, each in a small Zoom-style box, appeared on the video boards. When it came time for the national anthem, country star Charley Pride sang live, but from the park’s concourse.
The ceremonial first pitch was delivered virtually, with Texas Gov. Greg Abbott making the toss from Austin.
When Rangers starter Lance Lynn struck out Rockies leadoff batter David Dahl, piped-in cheers rose from the stadium’s speakers.
In the third inning, when the Rangers’ Nick Solak was out on a close play at first base, the crowd sounds went from a cheer to a groan.
The first hit in the new park was a single by Dahl in the top of the third inning. The only audible reaction was the applause from the Rockies dugout.
When the Rangers scored the first run of the game on the RBI double by Odor in the sixth inning, the video board showed a live shot of cheering fans in the dining hall in the Texas Live! development next door to the ballpark.
In the top of the ninth, the crowd sounds seemed to pulsate, erupting in cheers as Rangers’ pitches were called strikes. It was one of the most realistic crowd noises of the evening.
For appearance’s sake
During much of a televised game, the area behind home plate is in the frame. Several MLB teams invited fans to submit photos that could be converted into a cardboard version of themselves, and those were propped up in seats behind the backstop.
The Rangers’ approach was to encourage fans to make donations to the team’s charity, The Rangers Foundation, when
JOE MOCK
submitting their photos. Using a clever play on the term doppelganger, almost 2,800 of these “Doppel-Rangers” were seated behind home plate.
Even with no fans to see the video boards, Chuck Morgan, the team’s executive vice president of ballpark entertainment and production, kept the player highlights and replays coming. “I care about the players. I want this to be special for them,” he says.
The main board high above
right field also includes some advanced metrics, like the induced vertical break and horizontal break of pitches and exit velocity and angle on batted balls.
“Not having fans in the ballpark presents the challenge of how to make it sound like there are 40,000 people having a good time at the ballgame,” says Morgan.
To compensate for this absence, Michael Gruber, the team’s DJ – a new concept at Rangers games this year – poured over tapes of games from recent seasons. He pulled audio clips that correspond with any conceivable situation that might occur during a game. Armed with over 100 files of crowd noise, he filled Globe Life Field with sounds that made the players feel at home. The sounds were realistic to fans watching on TV.
“We have the basic crowd murmur from when the gates would open,” explains Morgan. “As it progresses through the evening, that gets a little louder as we pretend the stands are filling up.”
He adds that there’s even the bellowing of a hot dog vendor that can be added to the mix from time to time.
What if a close call doesn’t go the Rangers’ way, or the opposing pitcher throws to first base to hold a runner close? Are there sound files of fans booing? “MLB wants us to keep everything positive,” says Morgan. “If an actual crowd wants to boo, that’s one thing, but there’s something that doesn’t feel right about an employee of a team pressing a ‘boo button’ at an umpire or opposing player.”
Levi Weaver, The Athletic’s beat writer for the Rangers, says the piped-in sounds “really do help. At intrasquad games here the last couple of weeks, there was no sound, and it was weird. When a home run ball came off a bat, it sounded like a 9-millimeter gunshot.”
By design
Like the Rangers’ former home, Globe Life Park, and the Dallas Cowboys’ AT&T Stadium two blocks away, Globe Life Field was designed by local architecture firm HKS.
Fred Ortiz, principal at HKS, says the delay in the start of the season “has allowed the venue to take shape and be better prepared for opening day.”
He notes that when fans are allowed to attend games, “the ratio of square footage to capacity is greater here than at other parks.” That will make it much easier to practice social distancing, especially in areas like the concourses.
“It is home-like here. It’s very comfortable and welcoming,” Ortiz says.
As game time for the opener approached, it was 95 degrees outside and 72 degrees inside the new ballpark. The retractable roof and air conditioning are welcome indeed, as the Rangers have endured more 90-degree game-time temperatures than any other team in the majors – and more than double the second-hottest locale (St. Louis).
On the air
Those broadcasting the opening night game encountered pluses and minuses in the unusual circumstances.
Emily Jones typically reports from the dugout for Fox Sports Southwest’s telecasts, but doing so is not allowed during these social distancing times. “The hardest part for me is not being able to connect with the players,” she says. “So what we are focusing on right now is letting the viewers at home get a feel for what the new ballpark is like.”
With no fans present, she adds, “It sure is easier navigating the park.”
Eric Nadel, the radio voice for the team since 1979, says the environment seems “very weird, as we are in a new stadium so we don’t have any idea what ‘normal’ looks and sounds like.”
He says that the strangest situation will be broadcasting road games while looking at TV monitors from the booth at Globe Life Field, all part of MLB’s protocols for this season. Hence the Rockies’ broadcast team did opening night while back in Denver.
Nadel adds that “seeing players with masks, of course, is odd, and seeing Rangers relief pitchers sitting in picnic areas designed for fans seems goofy, but everything this year will be weird. We’ll just describe what we see and enjoy the adventure.”
The good news for Rangers fans is that the two MLB teams in Texas might be among the first to allow fans to attend games. Because the state is considered to be “open,” athletic events are permitted as long as attendance is limited to 50% of capacity.
“MLB has told us that we can’t permit fans for our first two series,” Matwick explains. “We are still hopeful. We are still planning. Our job is to be ready.”