The retractable roof at Globe Life Field closed for the first time Friday, marking a notable milestone for the upcoming home of the Texas Rangers.
Construction continues on Globe Life Field, which will open for the Rangers in March. More information on the ballpark has surfaced in recent weeks–including last week’s announcement on its dimensions–and, on Friday, another sign of progress emerged with the first closing of the retractable roof.
One of the key features of Globe Life Field will be the retractable roof, which will not only provide relief from the Texas heat that was never available at the Rangers’ former home–the open-air Globe Life Park–but could also have interesting implications on the playing conditions. More from the Dallas Morning News:
The roof was closed for the first time at Globe Life Field, another significant milestone in getting the ballpark ready for play in just over three months.
Earlier this week, SportsDay’s Evan Grant wrote about how the field would play with the roof closed.
The park could play differently with the roof opened and closed. But, executive Vice President of business operations [Rob] Matwick said, the profile of the building, which makes it significantly taller than Globe Life Park, should diminish some wind factors. The Rangers have still not announced the club’s plan on opening and closing the roof.
The closing of the roof was showcased on social media, via the ballpark’s Twitter:
Closing Time: The retractable roof at Globe Life Field closed for the first time today. pic.twitter.com/pO2c7ZEH3r
— Globe Life Field (@GlobeLifeField) December 6, 2019
Globe Life Field’s first major event will be a concert headlined by Chris Stapleton on March 14, with the Rangers getting their first look at the finished ballpark later in this month. The Rangers are scheduled to play an exhibition game there against the St. Louis Cardinals on March 23, before facing the Los Angeles Angels in the regular-season home opener on March 31.
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