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Globe Life Field opening hit by MLB postponement

The Texas Rangers Major League Baseball team has been forced to postpone the opening of its Globe Life Field ballpark due to the coronavirus outbreak.

The new state-of-the-art stadium, which has been built across the road from the team’s former Globe Life Park home, had been due to open yesterday (Sunday) with a Chris Stapleton concert.

The Rangers had also been scheduled to play the St. Louis Cardinals in an exhibition game at the venue on March 23 before playing the Los Angeles Angels in its first home regular-season fixture on March 31.

However, Major League Baseball was last week among a number of US sports organisations that postponed fixtures due to the coronavirus outbreak, with the start of the 2020 season having been delayed and the rest of the spring training schedule suspended.

The announcement, as well as calling into question whether each team will still play 162 games, postponed the opening of Globe Life Field, which will have a capacity of 40,300.

The Rangers announced that the Chris Stapleton concert will be rescheduled for a later date that is to be determined. The start date for public and group tours of the stadium will also be delayed until after the first public event has taken place at the facility.

Opening day for the 2020 MLB season had been originally scheduled for March 26.

Globe Life Park, the Rangers’ former home, has been converted into a multi-purpose facility that will host the Dallas Renegades XFL American football franchise and North Texas Soccer Club, which competes in the USL League One division.

Image: Texas Rangers