Globe Life Field, the new home of the Texas Rangers, welcomed fans for the first time yesterday (Monday) as the Atlanta Braves defeated the Los Angeles Dodgers in the opening game of Major League Baseball’s National League Championship Series.
The official attendance for the game was 10,700, with a mixture of Dodgers, Braves and Rangers fans turning out to sample the 40,300-seat stadium for the first time. It marked the first time that fans had attended a regular-season MLB game in almost a year.
Globe Life Field had been due to stage its first game back in March, but the COVID-19 outbreak put paid to its opening plans and the start of the MLB season. A Chris Stapleton concert was pencilled in to open the stadium on March 16.
Globe Life Field is serving as a neutral host for the National League Championship Series and will also host the World Series, which commences on October 20. The stadium will serve as the first neutral host of the World Series since 1944.
The Rangers are working with MLB to make around 11,500 tickets available for each National League Championship Series and World Series game, with 10,550 fans to be spread throughout the ballpark and 950 in suites. Unused seats at last night’s game were tied up to ensure social distancing was adhered to.
Due to ongoing COVID-19 restrictions, tickets in the seating bowl were sold in groups of four contiguous seats, called pods, with individuals restricted to purchasing one pod per game. Fans at last night’s game were required to wear masks, except for when they were actively eating or drinking.
Globe Life Field’s roof was also opened for the game and it is hoped that this will be the case for the remainder of the Dodgers-Braves series and the World Series.
Tickets for the World Series were priced between $75 and $450 and have already sold out. Tickets for the ongoing National League Championship Series range from $40 to $250.
Although the State of Texas currently allows up to 50% capacity for sporting events, Globe Life Field will be around 28% full for games this month. The venue is located a short walk from AT&T Stadium, home of the Dallas Cowboys NFL team, which last month welcomed a crowd of 21,708 for a home game against the Atlanta Falcons.
Image: Globe Life Field
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