‘It is breathtaking.’ NLCS gives fans from all over first look at Globe Life Field
Texas Rangers fan Jacob Patton has attended a bunch of Opening Day games, including some with his mom Mary Patton and girlfriend Danielle Broussard.
So Patton wasn’t about to miss an Opening Day like no other Monday night at Globe Life Field. And he made sure his mom and girlfriend were with him.
The new, $1.2 billion retractable-roof stadium, which was scheduled to open March 31 before the coronavirus pandemic altered the season, welcomed fans through its doors for the first time for the National League Championship Series between the Los Angeles Dodgers and Atlanta Braves.
The Braves beat the Dodgers 5-1 in front of a sellout crowd of 10,700. Game 2 is scheduled for 5 p.m. Tuesday.
Major League Baseball chose to host the NLCS and American League Championship Series at neutral sites as a safety precaution to the teams amid the pandemic. The ALCS between the Houston Astros and Tampa Bay Rays is being played at Petco Park in San Diego.
It’s not only the first time fans have watched baseball inside Globe Life Field, but it’s the first time fans anywhere have watched non-exhibition MLB games in person in 2020. Fans were prohibited during the regular season and early playoff rounds. Fans also aren’t allowed at the ALCS in San Diego.
Only 10,700 tickets are being sold for NLCS and World Series games at Globe Life Field. The World Series is scheduled to begin on Oct. 20.
“You feel that buzz. Just seeing live bodies out there is good. This is a good thing for baseball,” Dodgers manager Dave Roberts said during an in-game, dugout interview on the Fox telecast.
There was a good mix of fans wearing Dodgers, Braves and Rangers gear on hand Monday night. They came from all over, too, including Chicago, the Rio Grande Valley, New Orleans and, of course, Atlanta and Los Angeles.
How was Globe Life Field received? In a word: Raves.
“It’s breathtaking,” said William Necessary, a Rangers season-ticket holder since 2012 from Arlington. “It does look like a barn or a hangar from the outside, but inside it’s amazing.”
Both Necessary and friend Bobby Brown, of Fort Worth, were decked out in Rangers colors.
They also have tickets for Game 4 of the World Series.
“It reminds me of the old Reunion Arena where you were right on top of everybody,” Brown said. “It’s not the most aesthetically pleasing stadium there is on the outside, but on the inside it’s beautiful.”
Patton, his mom and girlfriend, all wearing Rangers gear, were as excited to see the new ballpark as they were to see live baseball in person.
“It’s amazing,” said Patton, 33. “It fulfilled all the expectations of what I thought it would be.”
Dodgers die hard fan Derrick Bui, of Cypress, California, flew in Sunday for the game and will head back to Orange County on Tuesday morning.
“It’s beautiful,” said Bui, 24, a Dodgers season-ticket holder the past few years. “I had no expectations [of Globe Life Field]. I just knew it was brand new and I was pretty excited to see it.”
Long-time Braves fan Juan Guerrero drove his family, including wife Diana, son Juan Jr. and daughter Amanda, up from Mission for the series. He became a Braves fan as a kid for the same reason a lot of people fell in love with them: from their cable television presence on the TBS network. (Just like the Chicago Cubs on WGN.)
The Guerrero family gave Globe Life Field a big thumbs up, but Juan Sr. maintains Globe Life Park “had better hot dogs.” If the Braves win the series, he said, they might extend their trip.
A group of fans who grew up cheering for the Dodgers in the San Fernando Valley all descended on Arlington for Games 1 and 2. The group flew in from Utah, Chicago and Los Angeles.
John, 41, still lives in California, and bought the tickets on StubHub.
“It’s the only time I’m going to get to watch a Dodgers game in person this year so I’m not going to miss it,” he said. “Globe Life Field looks beautiful. The old Arlington ballpark looked pretty good, but this is legit.”
A group of 23- and 24-year-old friends who grew up rooting for the Braves came in from Austin, New Orleans and Georgia.
“It looks like a grill on the outside. But the inside is gorgeous,” said Hank Trumbull, 23, who now lives in Austin.
Joseph Dickerson, 37, who grew up in Atlanta, but has lived in Richardson the past 11 years, brought his son Laird, 7. Friend Matt Berry, 43, with son Luke, 13, is also from Atlanta and lives in Richardson. The prospect of seeing their favorite team in the NLCS at the new stadium was too tempting to miss.
“I definitely wanted to see this [ballpark],” Dickerson said. “We had tickets to the opening game and then it got canceled, so we’re excited to come and see the field. But the Braves are probably 90% of it.”
Seeing the roof open about an hour before first pitch really helped put the facility in perspective.
“This is incredible. It’s just a different field watching that thing open. Now it really feels like you’re outdoors.”
Said Laird: “It’s probably one of the biggest ballparks I’ve ever seen.”
Berry, motioning towards Globe Life Park beyond left field, was impressed.
“I like how vertical it is. I like the intimacy,” Berry said. “I loved that ballpark, but I walked in here and I was instantly like, ‘I don’t miss it.’”
This story was originally published October 13, 2020 at 5:00 AM.
