Texas Rangers vs. St. Louis Cardinals

A second trip to Texas brought an opportunity to meet up with some friends from last year, a deeper look at a ballpark, and a rare game with the roof open.

A second stadium tour on the Big Texas trip

Ernie and I are in Day 4 of a six-day six-ballpark trip that started in Albuquerque and the second on taking the stadium tour. (I will post another time about the Big Texas trip.) I enjoy taking the ballpark tour when I have a chance and the tour of Globe Life Field did not disappoint. Great insight on the history of baseball in the Arlington area, peeks at premium areas, and even a stop at the public address announcer’s boot and a chat with Chuck Morgan highlight the tour.

Ballpark Features

Last year, I stopped by the Nolan Ryan statue at the north entrance. This year, I caught others I missed, including the Ivan Rodriguez statue at the south entrance, the Mickey Mouse 2011 All-Star Game statue, and the 2023 World Series trophy.

Open Roof

During the tour, we had a discussion about opening the roof and what it would take, including accounting for the change of air pressure between inside and outside. No decision had been made at the time of the tour whether the roof would be open. I’m told in late May, temps usually get to the 90’s. (It was 90+ degrees the day before in Houston.) Fortunately, temperatures for most of Texas has been in the low 80’s and that is good reason for Globe Life Field to open the roof shortly after the gates opened.

Seat Selection

Section 226 Row 9

For today’s game, we have ADA seats in the upper level on the first base side. With the roof open for the game, the feel of the cool breeze enhances that viewing experience.

Ballpark Food of Choice

Brisket Eggrolls

Last year, I had the Boomstick and was not able to finish. While it was tempting to take on the challenge, I opted for something new.

Brisket is all over Texas, including at Daikin Park in Houston and any Buc-ee’s massive convenient stores. The Brisket Eggrolls offer its own unique way of serving Texas brisket.

Highest Place in the Park

Probably the most underrated feature of the ballpark, but go out to the centerfield area and look for the stairs or elevator to go to the very top. From there, you will have an uninterrupted view of the field. The view is even better with the roof open.

Game Highlights

The Rangers dominated over the Cardinals with a 11-1 win. Marcus Semien had a career game with a 4-for-4 night, a 4th inning home run, 3 RBIs, and a stolen base. Wyatt Langford hit a 2nd inning 2-run home run and Sam Haggerty and Josh Jung each has 3 RBIs.

• 1st visit to Globe Life Field (MLB Ballpark #25)
• 2nd different ballpark watching the Texas Rangers
• 5th different ballpark watching the Minnesota Twins

A trip to Texas was not planned when I was deciding which ballparks to visit in 2024. However, a work project brought me to Arlington and that night gave me free time to make the visit to Globe Life Field. The best coincidence of all was getting to see my hometown Minnesota Twins.

I was staying in downtown Arlington, which is not exactly walking distance to the ballpark. Fortunately, there was a local bar that offered shuttles to the game. For a small fee, it was great to go without paying more for an Uber or trying to drive and park.

The first game of the series against the Twins was also Nathan Eovaldi World Series ring giveaway day so I got to go home with a souvenir.

At the ballpark, I got to meet up with a group of Texas Rangers who are Ballpark STAMPeders. Part of my ballpark journey has also included stamping my MLB Ballpark Passport book with each ballpark visit.

Seat Selection

• Section 101 (lower level down third base line)

For an impromptu trip where I do not necessarily care where I sit, I was able to snag a cheap ticket of SeatGeek the morning of the game and the location still left me with a good view of the game.

Ballpark Food of Choice

• The Boomstick

The Boomstick, named for former Texas Ranger, Nelson Cruz, is an 18-inch long hot dog topped with grilled onions, jalapenos, chili, and melted cheese and big enough that it really requires a fork and knife to eat. The Boomstick was the only food I bought for the game and I could not finish it before the end of the game.

Highlights of the Game

The game started with two runs from the Rangers in the 1st inning but the biggest highlight of the game was Kyle Farmer’s hit in the second inning that looked like an inside-the-park home run but was officially a triple and an fielding error to bring in two runs and tie the game. The game remained tied until the top of the 9th inning when a sacrifice fly from Carlos Santana would score the winning run.