Texas Rangers Will Admit Full Capacity Fans for Opening Day
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After Texas Governor Greg Abbott declared that state businesses can operate at full capacity, the Texas Rangers will open the gates to a crowd of 40,518 fans for their home-opener at Globe Life Field on April 5 (and their final two spring training games). The Rangers are the first team among the four major pro leagues in the U.S. to allow full attendance since the coronavirus outbreak started shutting down sports across the country a year ago today.
After the opener against the Toronto Blue Jays, capacity at Globe Life Field will be slightly reduced for games in April and May. The Rangers will offer “distanced seating” in pods of two of four in certain sections.
Globe Life Field has been serving as a COVID-19 vaccination site since Feb. 26, but those operations will shift to the Dallas Cowboys’ AT&T Stadium once the baseball season begins. Despite Abbott recently removing the state’s mask mandate, fans will be required to wear masks in the stadium except when eating or drinking.
Before the Rangers’ announcement, the St. Louis Cardinals were the MLB team set to host the most fans (32% capacity), while the Washington Nationals will begin the season without fans due to government restrictions in D.C.
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Globe Life Field in Arlington allowed 11,500 fans to attend last year’s NLCS and World Series games. The retractable-roof venue will remain cashless and only accept digital tickets via the MLB Ballpark App. No players autographs will be available in the stadium as part of the Rangers’ health and safety protocols.