Globe Life Field

Globe Life Field is a baseball park in Arlington, Texas. Since 2020, it is the home ballpark of the Texas Rangers of Major League Baseball (MLB).[9] Globe Life and Accident Insurance Company, a subsidiary of McKinney-based Globe Life,[10] owns the naming rights for the facility through 2048.[11] The new ballpark is located across the street just south of Globe Life Park in Arlington, the Rangers' former home ballpark.

This article is about the current Texas Rangers ballpark. For its predecessor, see Globe Life Park in Arlington.
Globe Life Field
Globe Life Field in June 2020
Globe Life Field
Location in Texas
Globe Life Field
Location in the United States
Full nameGlobe Life Field
Location734 Stadium Dr. Arlington, Texas, U.S.
Coordinates32°44′50.5″N 97°5′3″W
Elevation278 feet (85 m)
OwnerCity Of Arlington
OperatorTexas Rangers
Executive suites120
Capacity40,300
Field sizeBaseball:[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)
Acreage270
SurfaceShaw Sports B1K (Artificial Turf)
Scoreboard111 feet wide and 40 feet tall
Construction
Broke groundSeptember 28, 2017 (2017-09-28)[2]
BuiltSeptember 28 ,2017
OpenedMay 29, 2020 (2020-05-29) (high school graduation)[3]
July 21, 2020 (2020-07-21) (exhibition game)
July 24, 2020 (2020-07-24) (regular season)
Construction cost$1.1 Billion USD
ArchitectHKS, Inc.[4]
VLK Architects[5]
Structural engineerWalter P Moore[6]
Services engineerME Engineers[7]
General contractorManhattan Construction Company[8]
Main contractorsManhattan Construction Company
Tenants
Texas Rangers (MLB) 2020–present
Website
https://www.mlb.com/rangers/ballpark

History

Background
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 in Arlington. The new stadium was to be constructed in a public/private partnership and have a retractable roof.[12] The ballpark was approved on the following Election Day.[13] HKS, Inc. was announced as the architect on January 5, 2017.[4]

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.[14][15]

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. Therefore, the Rangers proposed that their new ballpark should be constructed with a roof. Unlike its predecessors, the new stadium's center field faces northeast rather than southeast.[16]

A new shopping mall, a Loews Hotel, and a ballpark village are planned to go along with the new stadium. Globe Life Park in Arlington will then be renovated for football and soccer use.

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."[17]

On December 14, 2019, a section of the roof caught fire while under construction.[18]

Globe Life Field in June 2020

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.[19] Globe Life Field opened for a high-school graduation on May 29, 2020.[3]

On July 24, 2020, the Rangers hosted their first regular-season game against the Colorado Rockies. The Rangers played two exhibition games against the Rockies on July 21 and 22 at Globe Life Field.[20]

2020 MLB postseason

Because of the COVID-19 pandemic, 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.[21] MLB allowed fans to attend games at Globe Life during the NLCS and World Series.[22]

National Finals Rodeo

The Professional Rodeo Cowboys Association announced that the 2020 National Finals Rodeo (NFR) will relocate from Las Vegas to Arlington because of the COVID-19 pandemic and Nevada's state-mandated health restrictions. The NFR took place from December 3 through December 12, 2020.[23]

College Football

The 2021 Commander Classic between Army and Air Force is being scheduled for November 6, 2021 at Globe Life Field. It is the first time in the ballpark's history that a college football game is being played. The end zones are located at left field and at first base for the game. The 2022 edition is being scheduled for November 5, 2022 at Globe Life Field as well.

Dimensions

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]

Location Distance (in feet) Honoree Significance
Left field line 329 Adrián Beltré Retired #29
Left field just inside line 334 Nolan Ryan Retired #34
Left field power alley 372 1972 Rangers First season in Arlington
Deepest distance (to left and right of centerfield) 410 Michael Young Retired #10
Center field (straightaway) 407 Iván Rodríguez Retired #7
Right field power alley 374 1974 Rangers First winning season in Arlington
Right field line 326 Johnny Oates Retired #26
Home plate to backstop 42 Jackie Robinson Number 42 retired throughout MLB

Public reaction

After the Rangers unveiled Globe Life Field in June 2020, the look of its exterior was criticized and ridiculed online for its ugliness, especially compared to initial renderings of the ballpark.[25]

See also

References
  1. Sullivan, T.R. (December 4, 2019). "Globe Life Field's dimensions honor key players". MLB.com. Retrieved December 4, 2019.
  2. Brumfield, Loyd (September 21, 2017). "Rangers Unveil First Renderings of New Globe Life Field, Set to Break Ground Next Week". The Dallas Morning News. Retrieved September 21, 2017.
  3. Anglin, Dionne (May 29, 2020). "First event at Globe Life Field is a high school graduation". KDFW. Retrieved May 29, 2020.
  4. Sullivan, T. R. (January 5, 2017). "Rangers Tab HKS to Design New Ballpark". MLB.com. MLB Advanced Media. Retrieved January 5, 2017.
  5. "Globe Life Field". VLK Architects. Retrieved May 1, 2018.
  6. "Rangers Unveil More Globe Life Field Design Plans, With Emphasis On Natural Light". SportsBusiness Daily. September 22, 2017. Retrieved October 3, 2017.
  7. "Sports Facilities". www.jmeg.us. JMEG, LLC. Retrieved May 20, 2019.
  8. "Manhattan Construction Company to build new multi-purpose ballpark for Texas Rangers". ManhattanConstructionGroup.com (Press release). Manhattan Construction Company. September 29, 2017. Retrieved October 3, 2017.
  9. Mosier, Jeff (May 20, 2016). "Rangers New Stadium Plans Unveiled; Find Out What It Will Cost and Timeline for Its Construction". The Dallas Morning News. Retrieved May 25, 2016.
  10. Bell, Allison (July 26, 2019). "Torchmark to Change Its Name to Globe Life". ThinkAdvisor. Retrieved July 29, 2019.
  11. Reichard, Kevin (August 24, 2017). "Globe Life Retains Rangers Ballpark Naming Rights". Ballpark Digest. August Publications. Retrieved August 24, 2017.
  12. Sullivan, T. R. (May 20, 2016). "Rangers, Arlington Announce New Ballpark". MLB.com. MLB Advanced Media. Retrieved May 20, 2016.
  13. Sullivan, T. R. (November 8, 2016). "Raise the Roof: Rangers' New Ballpark Approved". MLB.com. MLB Advanced Media. Retrieved November 8, 2016.
  14. "Texas Rangers to utilize synthetic grass playing surface for the new Globe Life Field". Rangers.com. January 31, 2019. Retrieved January 31, 2019.
  15. Zwirko, Walt (January 31, 2019). "Rangers' new home to feature artificial turf". KTEN. Retrieved January 31, 2019.
  16. "Globe Life Field". Ballparks of Baseball. Retrieved February 28, 2018.
  17. "10 Things to Know About the New Rangers Ballpark, Including Where It Will Be and How Much It Will Cost". The Dallas Morning News. May 22, 2016. Archived from the original on June 1, 2019. Retrieved August 28, 2016.
  18. Wilson, Jeff (December 14, 2019). "Globe Life Field, the Texas Rangers' future $1.2 billion home, catches fire". Fort Worth Star-Telegram. Retrieved December 14, 2019.
  19. Reichard, Kevin (May 18, 2019). "Rangers Set Globe Life Field Opening for March 23". Ballpark Digest. August Publications. Retrieved May 20, 2019.
  20. Sullivan, T.R. (August 12, 2019). "Rangers 2020 schedule | Texas Rangers". MLB.com. Retrieved January 1, 2020.
  21. "World Series 2020". bloomberg.com. September 15, 2020.
  22. "MLB will allow fans to attend 2020 World Series, NLCS at Texas Rangers' Globe Life Field". CBS Sports. September 30, 2020.
  23. Brewer, Ray (September 9, 2020). "National Finals Rodeo moving from Las Vegas to Texas for 2020". Las Vegas Sun.
  24. "Texas Rangers Unveil Globe Life Field Dimensions". Ballpark Digest. August Publications. December 4, 2019. Retrieved March 6, 2020.
  25. Owens, Jason (June 24, 2020). "The new Texas Rangers stadium looks like a roasting pan, and Twitter is having a field day". Yahoo Sports. Retrieved June 26, 2020.
Preceded by
Globe Life Park in Arlington		 Home of the
Texas Rangers
2020–present		 Succeeded by
current
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