ARLINGTON, Texas — There was no need for cardboard cutouts or artificial crowd noise at Globe Life Field Monday, as the Texas Rangers opened its doors to 100% capacity. The game against the Toronto Blue Jays was the largest sports crowd in North America since the COVID-19 pandemic struck. 

What You Need To Know

  • The Rangers’ new $1.2 billion stadium opened its doors at 100% capacity for the home opener.

  • There were 38,238 fans in attendance, making it the largest sports crowd in North America since March of 2020.

  • The Rangers lost to the Blue Jays, 6-2.

The Rangers (1-3) lost their home opener, 6-2. The crowd of nearly 40,000, however, enjoyed the perks of being back at the ballpark. It was almost like it was 2019 again. There was a mask policy enforced, as fans could not remove their mask unless they were actively eating or drinking. Policy aside, fans were jubilant. 

“My wife got me tickets for my birthday,” said Rangers fan Ryan Hober. “So I asked my friends and we made the trip up to Arlington. When we walked in, we got chills.” 

“This will be 11 years in a row. We missed last year, but 11 years in a row we’ve been to opening day. It’s now become a family tradition,” said Rangers fan, Laura Reta.

Some of those family traditions began with the Rangers’ first pitch, as it was Craig and Hunter Brashier’s first opening day together. 

“It means everything in the world to me,” said Craig Brashier. “You only get so many of these with your children and eventually they get to that age where it’s not cool to hang out with dad. So I’ll take as many of these as I can get.”

Another father-son duo have 27 years of memories embedded into the old Globe Life Park. Russ Stodieck brought his son Tim Stodieck to Opening Day in 1994. Now Tim Stodieck is returning the favor for his dad.

“It brought tears to my eyes this morning. It was a surprise,” said Russ Stodieck. “My son made me these shirts. It just brought tears to my eyes."

As far as a full house goes, fans were flooding the seats, which brought some mixed emotions. 

“I’m a little nervous about it,” said Reta. “But again I think as long as everyone is safe and does their part, everything should be fine.”

“Not at all. Full capacity is not a worry of mine,” said Charles Dyga. “I think we are making strides in the right direction."

So as fans finally return to Globe Life Field, the hotdogs taste just the same, the beer is just as cold and baseball is officially back for everyone to enjoy.