Fans Are Back In The Ballpark
(Photo courtesy of @Rangers on Twitter)
The Texas Rangers recently became the first organization to host a sporting event with 100% capacity in the United States since the coronavirus pandemic first began limiting fans in the stands over a year ago.
On opening day, the Rangers hosted 38,238 fans in their brand new ballpark, Globe Life Field. I don’t want to get into the semantics about whether or not this was a good or bad decision, so instead I’d rather acknowledge the fact that sports haven’t been the same in quite some time now. After what feels like centuries, attending games in person is starting to look like a real possibility.
Being that I live in Texas, I was fortunate enough to attend a recent Rangers game with nearly 100% capacity in the stands and I’d like to share my experiences of attending a sporting event while in the midst of a pandemic.
The game took place this past Friday, April 10, and was game one of a three-game series against the San Diego Padres. Sure I may be a Rangers fan, but let’s be honest, the real reason I wanted to be at this game was to see the Padres star-studded lineup in action.
First things first, I had to build up enough courage to actually go out in public where people would potentially be maskless for the first time in nearly a year. Once I did, I bought my tickets and couldn’t wait to get to Globe Life Field.
As I pulled up to the stadium, my first thought other than “Jesus Christ I can’t find parking anywhere” was damn... this is a lot of people. I’m not sure if COVID has completely brainfucked my sense of crowd size or not, but after being indoors for so long 1,000 people looks like 20,000 to these eyes.
The sky was a gorgeous baby blue with hardly a cloud in sight. The wind was blowing, though it was a nice breeze to combat that infamous Texas sun. It was perfect baseball weather, and as I walked from my car to the stadium I couldn’t help but notice nearly everyone I passed by was grinning from ear to ear.
Handing my ticket to the stadium workers was a surreal feeling. I can’t remember the last time I heard the chitter-chatter echos coming from the stands as I entered the stadium. Such a simple, yet beautiful thing I’ll never take for granted again.
The concession stand lines were backed up, people were randomly yelling chants as they walked by one another, and music was blaring from the stadium’s loudspeakers. I felt like a kid in a candy shop.
Finding my seat in the brand new ballpark was a journey, but I didn’t care how long it took or how late I was -- I wanted to soak in the environment. Once I sat down, a minuscule amount of reality set in as I looked around to realize that we were packed in the seats like sardines; there was hardly a seat of space between one group of fans to another.
As the game went on, I found myself becoming distracted by the scenery around me as I attempted to soak in the environment as if it was my last time at the ballpark. Late in the game things got interesting and eventually I couldn’t take my eyes off the pitcher’s mound.
There wasn’t much to show for when the Rangers were on defense, but Joe Musgrove was on an absolute tear for the Padres. Around the 7th inning people began a “no-hitter watch” as Musgrove was yet to give up a hit all game. The top media accounts such as ESPN and the MLB were posting about Musgrove’s potential feat, and all I could think was “Holy shit, we might be witnessing history.”
In the bottom of the 9th, Padres up 3-0, Musgrove took the mound seeking to accomplish not only the first no-hitter of the season, but also the first no-hitter in Padres history. San Diego was the last MLB organization without a no-hitter on record, so the final three outs were gargantuan.
Despite the fact that Ranger fans didn’t have much to cheer for all game, nearly every soul in Globe Life Field was up on their feet clapping and cheering as the game neared its end. I honestly couldn’t decipher whether the fans were cheering for a Rangers comeback or a Musgrove no-no, but I was anxiously hoping to see three straight strikeouts for sports history’s sake.
Three up, three down. Joe Musgrove and the Padres had made history in front of a full capacity stadium. Musgrove ended the night with 10 strikeouts, 0 batters walked and 112 pitches facing 28 batters. Insanity.
The excitement from all the fans around me was something I hadn’t experienced in far too long for my liking. The random high fives between strangers, the abundant array of cell phone flashlights capturing the moment, and best of all: the Padres dugout rushing out to celebrate with their teammate on the mound.
All in all, being at a stadium with all the semantics that go with it is something I’ll always cherish. Witnessing baseball history was just a bonus. Here is to hoping everyone is vaccinated sooner rather than later and every stadium can get back to full capacity!