| Rangers Ballpark in Arlington Arlington, Texas |
Tenant: Texas Rangers (AL 1994-present)
Groundbreaking: April 2, 1992
1st American League Game: April 11, 1994 (Mil 4, Tex 3)
Surface: Natural Grass
Architect: David M. Schwarz Architectural Services (Washington, DC); HKS, Inc. (Dallas)
Cost: $191 million
Owner: Arlington Sports Authority
Seating capacity: 49,200
Playing Field Dimensions:
Left field foul line: 332 ft.
Left center: 390 ft.
Center field: 400 ft.
Deepest right center: 407 ft.
Right center: 381 ft. to 377 ft.
Right field foul line: 326 ft.
Outfield Fences: Left to left-center: 14 ft; Left-center to right field: 8 ft.
Hosted World Series: Never
Hosted All-Star Game: 1995
Groundbreaking: April 2, 1992
1st American League Game: April 11, 1994 (Mil 4, Tex 3)
Surface: Natural Grass
Architect: David M. Schwarz Architectural Services (Washington, DC); HKS, Inc. (Dallas)
Cost: $191 million
Owner: Arlington Sports Authority
Seating capacity: 49,200
Playing Field Dimensions:
Left field foul line: 332 ft.
Left center: 390 ft.
Center field: 400 ft.
Deepest right center: 407 ft.
Right center: 381 ft. to 377 ft.
Right field foul line: 326 ft.
Outfield Fences: Left to left-center: 14 ft; Left-center to right field: 8 ft.
Hosted World Series: Never
Hosted All-Star Game: 1995
| Source Credits -------------------------- Recommended Reading List Click on title for more info. The Texas Rangers: The Authorized History by Eric Nadel Take Me Out to the Ballpark: An Illustrated Guide to Baseball Parks Past & Present by Josh Leventhal, Jessica M. Macmurray The Ultimate Baseball Road-Trip by Joshua Pahigian, Kevin O'Connell Fodor's Baseball Vacations: Great Family Trips to Minor League and Classic Major League Ballparks Across America by Bruce Adams America's Ballparks by Kenneth Hogan Ballparks of North America: A Comprehensive Historical Reference to Baseball Grounds, Yards and Stadiums, 1845 to Present by Michael Benson Storied Stadiums: Baseball's History Through Its Ballparks by Curt Smith |
Located between Dallas and Fort Worth in Arlington, Texas, Rangers Ballpark was originally known as The Ballpark in Arlington. In May, 2004
Ameriquest bought the naming rights to the ballpark and named it Ameriquest Field. Even with the changed name, many fans continued to refer to
it as simply "The Ballpark" or "The Temple" (short for "The Temple of the Great Game.") On Monday, March 19, 2007, the Texas Rangers severed their
relationship with Ameriquest and announced that the stadium would be named Rangers Ballpark in Arlington.
The stadium was constructed as a replacement for nearby Arlington Stadium. It is home to the American League's Texas Rangers, and the Legends
of the Game Baseball Museum.
Ameriquest bought the naming rights to the ballpark and named it Ameriquest Field. Even with the changed name, many fans continued to refer to
it as simply "The Ballpark" or "The Temple" (short for "The Temple of the Great Game.") On Monday, March 19, 2007, the Texas Rangers severed their
relationship with Ameriquest and announced that the stadium would be named Rangers Ballpark in Arlington.
The stadium was constructed as a replacement for nearby Arlington Stadium. It is home to the American League's Texas Rangers, and the Legends
of the Game Baseball Museum.
Funding was approved for a new home for the Texas Rangers in
1991 by the City of Arlington. Construction began on April 2, 1992
a short distance away from Arlington Stadium, the ballpark it
would replace, and the new Ballpark in Arlington was opened on
April 1, 1994 in an exhibition contest between the Texas Rangers
and the New York Mets. The first official game was on April 11
against the Milwaukee Brewers.
The Ballpark was designed by David M. Schwarz Architectural
Services of Washington, D.C. The Rangers chose to build a
retro-style ballpark, incorporating many features of baseball's
Jewel Box parks. A roofed home run porch in right field is
reminiscent of Tiger Stadium, while the white steel frieze that
surrounds the upper deck was copied from the pre-1973 Yankee
Stadium. The out-of-town scoreboard (removed in 2009 and
replaced with a state-of-the-art videoboard) was built into the
left-field wall--a nod to Fenway Park, while the numerous nooks
and crannies in the outfield fence are a reminder of Ebbets Field.
The park's red brick and granite exterior was copied from Oriole
Park at Camden Yards, while the arched windows are a reminder
of Comiskey Park. However, it has a few distinct features of its
own. Several traditional Texas-style stone carvings are visible
throughout the park. A four-story office building in center field
encloses the park, with a white steel multilevel facade similar to
the facade on the roof.
As the ballpark was built on one of the old Arlington Stadium
parking lots, the irregular dimensions of the outfield were
planned independently, rather than being forced by neighboring
structures. The home plate, foul poles, and bleachers were
originally at the old Arlington Stadium. The Home Plate was
inserted into place by Richard Greene (then Mayor of Arlington),
Elzie Odom (Head of Arlington Home Run Committee and later
Mayor of Arlington), and George W. Bush (former part Rangers
owner, then Texas Governor and later President of the United
States).
The Ballpark's 810-foot (250 m)-long facades are made of brick and
Texas Sunset Red granite. Bas-relief friezes depict significant
scenes from the history off both Texas and baseball. The calculus
of seating arrangements represented a new economic model for
the sport: a critical mass of high-dollar seats close to the infield
boost ticket revenue. The stadium has three basic seating tiers:
lower, club and upper deck. Two levels of luxury suites occupy
spaces behind sliding glass doors above and below the club tier.
Despite the field being below street level, the park has a large
number of obstructed-view seats. In some cases, the view is cut
off by an overhang or underhang, and others are directly in front
of the foul poles or support poles. Also, the design of the upper
deck leaves it very far from the action. The view from the
grandstand reserved sections in left is particularly obstructed.
Rangers Ballpark in Arlington in 2006, with Greene's Hill in center
field.
Greene's Hill is a sloped section of turf located behind the center
field fence at the home field of the ballpark. The Hill serves as a
batter's eye, providing a contrasting background behind the
pitchers which enables hitters to more easily see the baseball
after the pitcher's release. "Greenes Hill" was originally designed
as a picnic area for fans but the Rangers have never initiated this
policy. The hill was named after former Arlington mayor, Richard
Greene in November, 1997.
1991 by the City of Arlington. Construction began on April 2, 1992
a short distance away from Arlington Stadium, the ballpark it
would replace, and the new Ballpark in Arlington was opened on
April 1, 1994 in an exhibition contest between the Texas Rangers
and the New York Mets. The first official game was on April 11
against the Milwaukee Brewers.
The Ballpark was designed by David M. Schwarz Architectural
Services of Washington, D.C. The Rangers chose to build a
retro-style ballpark, incorporating many features of baseball's
Jewel Box parks. A roofed home run porch in right field is
reminiscent of Tiger Stadium, while the white steel frieze that
surrounds the upper deck was copied from the pre-1973 Yankee
Stadium. The out-of-town scoreboard (removed in 2009 and
replaced with a state-of-the-art videoboard) was built into the
left-field wall--a nod to Fenway Park, while the numerous nooks
and crannies in the outfield fence are a reminder of Ebbets Field.
The park's red brick and granite exterior was copied from Oriole
Park at Camden Yards, while the arched windows are a reminder
of Comiskey Park. However, it has a few distinct features of its
own. Several traditional Texas-style stone carvings are visible
throughout the park. A four-story office building in center field
encloses the park, with a white steel multilevel facade similar to
the facade on the roof.
As the ballpark was built on one of the old Arlington Stadium
parking lots, the irregular dimensions of the outfield were
planned independently, rather than being forced by neighboring
structures. The home plate, foul poles, and bleachers were
originally at the old Arlington Stadium. The Home Plate was
inserted into place by Richard Greene (then Mayor of Arlington),
Elzie Odom (Head of Arlington Home Run Committee and later
Mayor of Arlington), and George W. Bush (former part Rangers
owner, then Texas Governor and later President of the United
States).
The Ballpark's 810-foot (250 m)-long facades are made of brick and
Texas Sunset Red granite. Bas-relief friezes depict significant
scenes from the history off both Texas and baseball. The calculus
of seating arrangements represented a new economic model for
the sport: a critical mass of high-dollar seats close to the infield
boost ticket revenue. The stadium has three basic seating tiers:
lower, club and upper deck. Two levels of luxury suites occupy
spaces behind sliding glass doors above and below the club tier.
Despite the field being below street level, the park has a large
number of obstructed-view seats. In some cases, the view is cut
off by an overhang or underhang, and others are directly in front
of the foul poles or support poles. Also, the design of the upper
deck leaves it very far from the action. The view from the
grandstand reserved sections in left is particularly obstructed.
Rangers Ballpark in Arlington in 2006, with Greene's Hill in center
field.
Greene's Hill is a sloped section of turf located behind the center
field fence at the home field of the ballpark. The Hill serves as a
batter's eye, providing a contrasting background behind the
pitchers which enables hitters to more easily see the baseball
after the pitcher's release. "Greenes Hill" was originally designed
as a picnic area for fans but the Rangers have never initiated this
policy. The hill was named after former Arlington mayor, Richard
Greene in November, 1997.
Dimensions
The field is one of the notoriously hitter-friendly parks in baseball,
due to the high temperatures and low humidity, relatively short
fences, and the design of the stadium which has allowed the area's
high winds to swirl and lift balls that wouldn't normally make it out.
In truth, the park would give up even more home runs if not for
the office building in center and the field being 22 feet below
street level.
With a combination of the park's design and the naturally good
hitters who've played for the Rangers, the team has put up some
rather high home run totals. In 1996, the Rangers hit 221 homers.
They eclipsed 200 again in 1998 (201), 1999 (230), 2001 (241), 2002
(230), 2003 (239), 2004 (227), and 2005 (260, four short of the
all-time record of 264 by the 1997 Seattle Mariners). Many great
sluggers such as Juan González, Iván Rodríguez, Rafael Palmeiro,
Alex Rodriguez, Mark Teixeira, Alfonso Soriano, and Michael Young
have taken advantage of the stadium. Paul Sorrento hit the
ballpark's longest home run (491 ft). Unfortunately, Rangers'
pitching (a traditional franchise weakness) has also suffered from
the design of the park.
------------------------------------------------
Despite being hailed as a wonderful venue in its infant years,
articles in the Dallas Morning News began to suggest that the
ballpark would have been better served by having a dome or
retractable roof - much like Minute Maid Park, the home of the
Houston Astros - due to the sometimes-oppressive heat that can
overtake Texas during baseball season. Many argue that the
intense heat is a liability in attracting players, particularly starting
pitchers.
That being said, it is questionable that retractable roof technology
was a good candidate at the time the park was constructed, when
modern mechanical retractable-roof ballparks like Chase Field,
Safeco Field, Minute Maid Park, and Miller Park would not open
until several years after the Rangers Ballpark in Arlington,
respectively. While retractable roof solutions did exist at the time,
they had significant detractors. The Rogers Centre (formerly
SkyDome) uses retractable roof technology, and is motorized, and
opened in 1989. However, it had a $570 million pricetag, being
partially funded by the federal and provincial governments, the
city of Toronto, as well as a consortium of corporations (though
the Blue Jays now own the stadium, by way of parent company
Rogers Communications). One reason for the extra funding sources
was that it was a multipurpose venue, being used for a wide
variety of sports, as well as conventions. This technology
therefore would have been cost prohibitive to the Rangers, who
would not have had the benefit of those extra sources of funding,
and where the price tag was well over 6 times the cost of Rangers
Ballpark in Arlington. Many local DFW sports writers in recent years
have thrown around the idea of adding a roof to the stadium but
the idea has been nixed by the Rangers.
The field is one of the notoriously hitter-friendly parks in baseball,
due to the high temperatures and low humidity, relatively short
fences, and the design of the stadium which has allowed the area's
high winds to swirl and lift balls that wouldn't normally make it out.
In truth, the park would give up even more home runs if not for
the office building in center and the field being 22 feet below
street level.
With a combination of the park's design and the naturally good
hitters who've played for the Rangers, the team has put up some
rather high home run totals. In 1996, the Rangers hit 221 homers.
They eclipsed 200 again in 1998 (201), 1999 (230), 2001 (241), 2002
(230), 2003 (239), 2004 (227), and 2005 (260, four short of the
all-time record of 264 by the 1997 Seattle Mariners). Many great
sluggers such as Juan González, Iván Rodríguez, Rafael Palmeiro,
Alex Rodriguez, Mark Teixeira, Alfonso Soriano, and Michael Young
have taken advantage of the stadium. Paul Sorrento hit the
ballpark's longest home run (491 ft). Unfortunately, Rangers'
pitching (a traditional franchise weakness) has also suffered from
the design of the park.
------------------------------------------------
Despite being hailed as a wonderful venue in its infant years,
articles in the Dallas Morning News began to suggest that the
ballpark would have been better served by having a dome or
retractable roof - much like Minute Maid Park, the home of the
Houston Astros - due to the sometimes-oppressive heat that can
overtake Texas during baseball season. Many argue that the
intense heat is a liability in attracting players, particularly starting
pitchers.
That being said, it is questionable that retractable roof technology
was a good candidate at the time the park was constructed, when
modern mechanical retractable-roof ballparks like Chase Field,
Safeco Field, Minute Maid Park, and Miller Park would not open
until several years after the Rangers Ballpark in Arlington,
respectively. While retractable roof solutions did exist at the time,
they had significant detractors. The Rogers Centre (formerly
SkyDome) uses retractable roof technology, and is motorized, and
opened in 1989. However, it had a $570 million pricetag, being
partially funded by the federal and provincial governments, the
city of Toronto, as well as a consortium of corporations (though
the Blue Jays now own the stadium, by way of parent company
Rogers Communications). One reason for the extra funding sources
was that it was a multipurpose venue, being used for a wide
variety of sports, as well as conventions. This technology
therefore would have been cost prohibitive to the Rangers, who
would not have had the benefit of those extra sources of funding,
and where the price tag was well over 6 times the cost of Rangers
Ballpark in Arlington. Many local DFW sports writers in recent years
have thrown around the idea of adding a roof to the stadium but
the idea has been nixed by the Rangers.
