What to Know: Texas Rangers’ April 3 Home Opener
By Office of Communication
Posted on March 31, 2017, March 31, 2017

Home Opener

It's baseball season once again in The American Dream City!

The Texas Rangers' home opener begins at 6:08 p.m. Monday, April 3, versus the Cleveland Indians.

But before you head out to Globe Life Park in Arlington for food, fun and baseball, here are some important things fans should know:

TICKET AVAILABILITY: All reserved seats have been sold for the 2017 home opener, except for scattered singles and obstructed view seats. Standing room tickets are also available. Tickets can be purchased at texasrangers.com, by calling 972-RANGERS and at the Globe Life Park in Arlington first base box office.

CEREMONIAL FIRST PITCH: Arlington Mayor Jeff Williams will throw the ceremonial first pitch for the home opener. Williams' pitch will be caught by 2017 National Baseball Hall of Fame electee Ivan Rodriguez.

NATIONAL ANTHEM: The Star Spangled Banner will be sung by Rangers' third base coach Tony Beasley, who has performed the National Anthem on many different occasions. That includes August 24, 2010 before the St. Louis-Pittsburgh game at PNC Park when he was a coach with the Pirates. Beasley is in his third season on the Rangers' major league staff. He saw limited activity with the club in 2016 when he underwent treatment for rectal cancer. The recipient of the DFW BBWAA Chapter's 2016 Harold McKinney Good Guy Award was declared cancer-free last December and returned to his full duties in spring training. The National Anthem will be preceded by a live performance of Texas, Our Texas by Joel Lagrone. Country music star Neal McCoy, a native of Jacksonville, Texas who has performed a number of top hits and produced platinum and gold albums during a 30-year career, will singGod Bless America during the seventh inning stretch.

HAIL TO THE A.L. WEST CHAMPS: The opening day ceremonies will include the official raising of the 2016 A.L. West Division Championship flag on top of the centerfield office building. The United States Air Force Wings of Blue Parachute Team will perform a jump onto the field at Globe Life Park with the State of Texas flags and the 2016 A.L. West Division Championship flag.

FLYOVER: Following the National Anthem, there will be a flyover of T-38's from the United States Air Force 88thFighter Training Squadron of Sheppard Air Force Base in Wichita Falls, Texas.

SALUTE THE FLAG: The colors will be presented by an honor guard from the Texas Rangers Law Enforcement. Large United States and State of Texas flags will be unfurled in centerfield and on Greene's Hill, respectively by members of Police and Fire Departments from Arlington and surrounding communities.

MORE ACTIVITIES: In addition to the introductions of the Indians and Rangers, members of the Texas Rangers Baseball Hall of Fame will also be introduced pre-game on-field. All fans, 21 years of age and older, will receive a Rangers Budweiser Opening Night Magnetic Schedule as they enter the park.

TIMELINE: Globe Life Park in Arlington cash parking lots will open at 1 p.m. and ballpark gates will open at 3 p.m. for the home opener. The Rangers encourage fans to arrive early on Monday. As was instituted in 2015, all fans will be required to undergo Major League Baseball mandated metal detection screening before entering the ballpark.

Click here to view the Texas Rangers parking map.

#CAPSON: For the second year in a row, MLB, the Texas Rangers and New Era are partnering on a league-wide Opening Day initiative called #CapsOn. The Rangers are encouraging everyone to put their #CapsOn for Opening Day and post to social media to show their support of the Rangers.

SEASON OPENER NOTES: The Rangers are 22-23 overall in season openers, snapping a three-game losing streak with a 3-2 victory over Seattle at Globe Life Park in 2016. This is the fifth time Texas has played Cleveland in the season's opening game with a 2-2 record: winning at Cleveland Stadium in 1982, losing in 1984 and winning in 1988 at Arlington Stadium, and winning in 2009 at Globe Life Park in Arlington. The Rangers are 24-21 in home openers, winning 6 of the last 8. This marks the 26th time in 46 years that the Rangers have opened a season in Arlington.

NIGHT OPENER: The Rangers last opened the season at night in 2015 at Oakland, losing 8-0. This will be the first night game in a home opener since 1995 versus Cleveland at then The Ballpark in Arlington when the start of the season schedule was altered due to the work stoppage. The last scheduled night home opener was 1993 against Boston at Arlington Stadium. The 2017 opener was scheduled at 6:08 p.m. due to an ESPN national telecast.

REST OF SERIES: The Rangers and Indians conclude the series with a 7:05 p.m. games on Tuesday, April 4 and Wednesday, April 5. The series finale is Texas Chili Company Hot Dog Night and Dr Pepper Autograph Wednesday. Good seats remain for both those games.

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