The Texas Rangers open their home schedule Monday at Globe Life Field, starting their 50th anniversary season. The Rangers host the Colorado Rockies at 3:05 p.m.
"There will be an adrenaline rush," says Rob Matwick, Texas Rangers' executive vice president of baseball operations. "This will be my 37th opening day as part of the organization. I'm really looking forward to it, but I'm really amped up. It is a relief to know we can anticipate going into the season full-open for the entire year."
Parking lots open at 10 a.m. Gates at Globe Life Field open at noon.
The Rangers will begin batting practice at 12:10 followed by the Colorado Rockies at 1:10. Pregame events will begin at 2:35, followed by first pitch at 3:05.
Former Arlington Mayor and U.S. Congressman Tom Vandergriff threw out the first pitch of the Rangers' first game in 1972. Monday, his son, Victor, and grandson, Parker, will throw the first pitch to Tom Grieve. Grieve was a member of the 1972 team and will retire at the end of this season as a color commentator for the Rangers' broadcast team.
Tom Vandergriff's daughter, Vanessa Vandergriff Watters, sang the national anthem before the 1972 game as a high school student. She will sing the national anthem Monday.
Orion Jean, 11, will throw out the first pitch. Jean is a sixth grader at Alma Martinez Intermediate School in Mansfield. He was named Time Magazine's 2021 "Kid of the Year" for collecting more than 100,000 meals and 500,000 books for kids affected by the pandemic.
"We got delayed a little bit here at the start of the season, but not too bad, nothing we can't recover here," Matwick says. "We're just all looking forward to getting this started."
Monday morning, tickets were still available on the Texas Rangers website or by calling (972) RANGERS. Tickets can also be bought at the Southeast entrance box office at Globe Life Field.
Later this week, the Texas Rangers plan to publish a website with content for the 50th anniversary and more information about anniversary activities. The Rangers are planning a larger event April 15 and 16 to mark the anniversary; the team's first game in Arlington was April 21, 1972.
Among those scheduled to participate in events that weekend are Jim Sundberg, Al Oliver, Jeff Burroughs and Dick Bosman, who started the Rangers' first game in 1972. Rangers Hall of Famers Tom Grieve, Toby Harrah, Ferguson Jenkins and Jim Sundberg are also scheduled to attend.
The Rangers are also working with local artists and will have limited series of five posters available marking the anniversary, with proceeds from sales benefitting the Texas Rangers Foundation. They will also be selling commemorative merchandise to mark the anniversary.
"We have baseballs, we have polos, we have shirts, we have plushes, everything for the 50th anniversary in the retail store," says Casey Rapp, general manager of Delaware North at Globe Life Field. "The concessions side gets into it as well. We have cups, we have bats. We have a new beer-bat this year I think is pretty cool. It's basically a mini-bat you pour a beer into and can drink at the game, some unique items that go with the 50th anniversary."
First pitch is 3:05 Monday.
*Listen to Texas Rangers baseball locally on 105.3 The Fan (KRLD-FM on-air only).
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