“The roof was open Monday with temperatures in the mid-70s."…Final score, 6-2, Blue Jays over Rangers
4/5/21, “Largest crowd in more than a year fills Globe Life Field for Texas Rangers home opener," Fort Worth Star-Telegram, Stefan Stevenson, Jeff Wilson, Arlington, Texas
“Largest crowd in more than a year fills Globe Life Field for Texas Rangers home opener.”
“The new normal took much of the day off Monday at Globe Life Field, where the largest crowd for a pandemic-era sporting event in the United States sat shoulder to shoulder for the first home game of the Texas Rangers’ 2021 season.
The game, with an announced attendance of 38,238, also marked the first Rangers home game fans were allowed to attend after no fans were allowed during the 2020 regular season as part of MLB’s health and safety protocols to guard against the spread of COVID-19.
Although the stadium officially holds a maximum of 40,518, Monday’s figure was considered a sellout. Many attendees were guests of the Rangers, including essential personnel and VIPs.
The Rangers, who lost the home opener 6-2 to the Toronto Blue Jays, were counting on fans to cooperate with CDC-recommended protocols, including wearing masks at all times inside the $1.2 billion ballpark except while eating or drinking in their seats.
So, things weren’t completely as they were at the last Rangers home game with fans, the season finale of the 2019 season, but the Rangers, taking advantage of Gov. Greg Abbott’s decision to end the mask mandate and fully open Texas, moved a step closer to normalcy.
Some fans were more cautious than others.
Gerald Esparza, 63, of Fort Worth, and his 27-year-old son were admittedly a little “apprehensive” about joining a packed stadium of fans amid the pandemic. But they tested the waters during last week’s exhibition games at Globe Life Field and both are fully vaccinated.
“We thought they had enough [safety precautions] in place that we felt comfortable,” said the son, who chose to keep his name private. The family has been season-ticket holders for most of the past 12 seasons, Esparza said.
“We still wear our masks just to be respectful,” he said. “As long as businesses can stay open, and the Rangers are open, I have no problem wearing the masks if that’s what keeps everything open.”…
The Rangers were proactive in doing their part to mitigate risk.
Public address announcer Chuck Morgan gave frequent reminders to fans before the game to observe the health protocols in place, and the policies were also played over the sound system outside the ballpark near the entrances.
“People are on both sides of that issue,” manager Chris Woodward said. “Nothing is black and white. You can have your concerns about it, but I’ve asked our fans if they show up today to be responsible. They’ve got to do their part.
“I think it’s a good thing. It really is. You can have your opinion on it, but at the same time our country is moving forward. It symbolizes a little bit of hope,” Woodward said. “We haven’t had a full crowd in a long time in any sport. To be the first one, as long as it’s done right and responsible, we should be fine.”
Chuck and Dorrie from Bedford are both vaccinated and thought most fans (at least before the game started) were respecting the face-covering requests. Without vaccinations, they were unlikely to attend the opener….
Although fans have had various, limited opportunities to see the retractable roof ballpark before Monday’s home opener, including the World Series and National Finals Rodeo events last year and a couple of exhibition games last week, most were seeing the park for the first time. Only a combined 23,000 fans attended the two [exhibition] games last week. And most of the limited tickets during last fall’s postseason games were used by fans of the teams competing.
The roof was open Monday with temperatures in the mid-70s.
“It’s nice to be out,” Dorrie said.
President George W. Bush and his wife Laura were spotted in a field-level suite along with Craig Biggio, the former Houston Astros second baseman who’s now in the Hall of Fame. Biggio’s son, Cavan, plays for Toronto. Also on hand was Fergie Jenkins, the Hall of Fame pitcher who was with the Rangers for six of his 19 seasons.
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