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Although the Texas Rangers did not make it to the playoffs, their new ballpark provided an unlikely but strangely suitable scenario for this World Series.
By Tyler Kepner
ARLINGTON, Texas – Clayton Kershaw was 8 years old when his hometown, the Texas Rangers, reached the playoffs for the first time. He was the best age to immerse himself in the game, and now as a 32-year-old ace from Los Angeles. Angeles Dodgers, Kershaw has a reminder on his back: his number 22 is a tribute to Will Clark, Texas’ former first base.
Kershaw has noticed some Rangers games each year at the former ballpark off East Randol Mill Road from his successor, Globe Life Field, where he won this year’s World Series Games 1 and 5 against the Tampa Bay Rays. public limited, most commonly in favor of the Dodgers, which gave Kershaw a different turn from 2020 on his memorable October.
“This year has been strange, special, another in many ways, to be here,” he said Sunday night, as two of his young men struggled with zooming, for cameras at their virtual press conference. “I don’t need to say it”. it works the way I would have liked, because being at Dodger Stadium would also be wonderful.
“But having a circle of family and friends here, having as complete a space as possible and feeling like everyone is Dodgers enthusiasts is also very special. “
The Dodgers performed right at Globe Life Field, which competed with Randy Arozarena of the Rays as the rookie star of the baseball playoffs. The Dodgers, who were scheduled to face the Rays in Game 6 on Tuesday with the chance to win their first championship since 1988: swept the San Diego Padres in their departmental series here, then won a national league championship series of seven Atlanta Braves games, overcoming a three-game-to-one deficit.
Counting the games of one and three games with the Rangers in late August, the Dodgers played 19 times here before Game 6, with thirteen wins. about 19 games, 3 more than rangers in their 30 regular-season home games.
“It’s not small, I’ll tell you,” said Justin Turner of the Dodgers, who has three playoff races here. “We hit some circuits, but you probably have to hit him to get him out of here. I’ve played a lot of matches here and we’re pretty familiar with them. It’s not Dodger Stadium, it’s not our park, but so far we’ve done a very smart job. “
Globe Life Field was an ideal setting for the top of baseball’s first playoffs in a largely unbiased location. Rangers never risked being here (they finished 22-38 in the normal season), and with a retractable roof, time did not pass. Although there was infrequently wind in the National League Championship Series, the roof was closed during a World Series bloodless Evening Game 3 and returned to prevent rain from entering Game 5.
The 8,700-square-foot video table above the right box played against the designated home team: Los Angeles for Games 1, 2 and 6; Tampa Bay for others, and players have the same warm-up and walking music as ever. Vin Scully waved his mark before the first game (“It’s Dodger Baseball Time!”), and when the Rays won a wild game 4, the scoreboard radiated the scene of “Entourage” with Johnny Drama shouting “Victory!”from his knees through a cannon. (It’s a Rays thing). )
“There’s something in this place, ” said Rays star Charlie Morton. “It’s very robust. It’s big, it’s big, they’ve got the big screen on the field. It feels like it’s hanging over you. They have the golden logo of the World Series. “, the posters you expect to see ».
Rob Matwick, executive vice president of advertising operations for rangers, said the club had replaced the old park, which opened in 1994, for 3 main reasons: escaping the relentless summer heat; host occasions throughout the year; and, of course, to generate more revenue. When Rangers enthusiasts are allowed to cheer on their team, they may simply provide a forced advantage on the field.
“One thing that’s very obvious is how loud it is,” Matwick said of playoff enthusiasts, adding that even a limited audience made a lot more noise than simulated recordings. “I can’t wait to delight in another 40,000 people in the building. “
While the Rangers’ small signage looks towards the box, the ballpark has some sophisticated touches from the home team. The dimensions of the box flash in several deleted numbers: 329 feet on the line of the left box for the No. 29 Adrián Beltré; 407 feet in the middle for no. 7 by Ivan Rodriguez; 326 feet on the direct line for the No. 26 Johnny Oates.
Giant Heads of Beltré, Rodriguez and Michael Young greet enthusiasts in the upper lobby, and the team has moved a statue of Nolan Ryan from the Old Stadium, Globe Life Park, to a square here. Rodriguez donated a statue of himself on the contrary. aspect of the park, and a third statue depicts Neftali Feliz and Bengie Molina kissing after the Rangers won their first pennant in 2010.
“We’re in another position in our history now,” Matwick said. “Globe Life Park reflected Texas history with outdoor reliefs and suites named after Hall of Fame members – just one of whom, at the time, had played for us, Nolan. But here we try to reflect the history of the Rangers and make it our own.
As for the old stadium, known as The Ballpark In Arlington, it has been reconfigured and is now home to North Texas S. C. , the F. C. reserve equipment. Dallas of Major League Soccer, after hosting XFL games in the spring. Last week, the park hosted two high school football games and its first school game, between Abilene Christian and Stephen F. Austin. The former Rangers workplace now serves as the headquarters of Six Flags Entertainment Company.
But for some remote baseball fans, it will be a sacred place: the San Francisco Giants won their first World Series championship there in 2010, ending a 56-year drought that lasted into franchise days in New York.
Former Brooklyn Giants rival has won five titles since moving to Los Angeles, but the most recent search lasted for decades. The Dodgers hoped to start a new decade by turning another Texas baseball stadium into their own sacred field.
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