The Texas Rangers return to Globe Life Field on Tuesday night with a chance to eliminate the top-seeded Baltimore Orioles and advance to their first American League Championship Series in 11 years as the stadium hosts its first-ever home playoff game.
The Rangers made the playoffs for the first time since 2016, clinching a wild card spot after leading the American League West for most of the season. While the team lost that lead on the season’s final day and finished in second place behind the Houston Astros after a six-game losing streak, it has been on a roll in the postseason, winning all four games thus far.
“They did a great job of putting off a tough series [and] a tough loss behind them and played well in Tampa and played well in Baltimore,” manager Bruce Bochy told the media on Monday.
The recent run has Dallas-Fort Worth buzzing, and the team expects a unique and dynamic atmosphere for its first home game in over two weeks on Tuesday.
“I’m looking forward to it,” Bochy added. “I think, for Rangers fans, hopefully, they’re really excited because it’s been a little while. It wasn’t all that long ago when they were having a lot of postseason games. To have the first one here, I’m honored to be part of that and to be part of what’s going on right now.”
“… I’m looking forward to just seeing the atmosphere,” he continued. “Nobody has seen it yet. I think the players are too, and it’s going to be an exciting time tomorrow night.”
The last time the Rangers won at least four playoff games in a row was 12 years ago, rattling off a five-game winning streak during its run to the 2011 World Series.
“Those ’10 and ’11 clubs were pretty much good from the beginning to the end, but this club has really been resilient,” said John Blake, Rangers executive vice president of public affairs, reported CBS News Texas. “It’s been fun to watch the young players here during the postseason. So it may have a little something special here.”
That resiliency will be on full display as the Rangers look to eliminate a team for the second time this postseason.
“This is a new building. It’s a new era of Rangers baseball, and now to have a playoff game at home, I’m super excited for our fans,” General Manager Chris Young told the media on Monday. “This is what I’ve envisioned so many times when I’ve walked in there and just looked around. Just to have a packed house full of 40,000 fans rocking and cheering on their home team, I think it’s great for our community.”
Globe Life Field will also debut some additions for the game, including new concessions items like a Chicken Parm Dawwg, an Oaxaca Dawwg, Super Slugger Cheese Sticks, and self-serve kettle corn machines, as well as a new check-out free retail store called Easy Out.
Game 3 begins at 7:03 p.m. CT on Tuesday.
