The first baseball game with fans in the stands will be held Monday night at Globe Life Field, but the Texas Rangers will not be participating. The National League Championship Series begins Monday between the Los Angeles Dodgers and Atlanta Braves.
Globe Life Field will open for 11,500 fans, about 28% capacity, for the NLCS.
"People coming in town for that, that'll help," says Randy Ford, the owner of J. Gilligan's Bar and Grill in Downtown Arlington. "It's not going to be like the Cowboys when they're having 95,000 people, and it's not going to be like the Rangers when they have 40,000, but hey, it's a step forward."
Ford says he will shuttle fans to the game. He has run a free shuttle to Cowboys games to increase business on Sundays. He says he has received calls from Braves and Dodgers fans asking about capacity limits and whether he could hold groups.
"We've actually started getting some play on that. We've had a couple of phone calls," he says. "You know, 11,000 fans, that's better than those cardboard fans."
Ford says his sales have been increasing since July. He says weekends have drawn steady business to his restaurant, but many offices in Downtown Arlington are still working remotely, so sales during the week are still lagging. He says renewed tourism and more visitors from out of town will also help him make up for sales he has lost.
"I know it's not normal, and it's gonna be another minute or two before we do get back, but at least this is one step," Ford says. "That will be great to have a chance to have some more business."
Globe Life Field will not accept cash at concessions stands or for parking. No paper tickets will be issued.
All food will be prepackaged, and hand sanitizer stations will be set up throughout Globe Life Field.
Masks will be required. The Texas Rangers say masks will be available at each entrance. To ensure social distancing, tickets are being sold in "pods," with each group of tickets at least six feet apart from other groups.
A complete list of regulations is available at https://www.mlb.com/rangers/tickets/postseason.
Globe Life Field will also host the World Series. Details for the World Series are still pending.