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A World Series fan’s guide to a safe, socially distanced playoff experience at Globe Life Field

Rangers expert Evan Grant walks you though the COVID-19 safety protocols in place for the Fall Classic at Globe Life Field.

Editor’s note: This story was originally published on October 11, 2020, ahead of the NLCS. With the World Series set to begin on October 20, we’re bringing it back.

Over the next two weeks, Major League Baseball will attempt to become the first U.S. pro sports league to stage a championship in front of fans since the COVID-19 pandemic rocked the world.

And you are invited.

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In typical 2020 fashion, the first time fans will be able to watch baseball at the Rangers' new $1.2 billion retractable roof stadium, the Rangers won’t be anywhere to be seen.

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As many as 10,500 fans, roughly 28% of Globe Life Field’s full capacity, will be able to attend games for the NL Championship Series between the Atlanta Braves and the Los Angeles Dodgers, which starts Monday, and the World Series the following week. But you better have your tickets already in hand — or downloaded, rather, since all tickets are digital only — because the World Series is already sold out. A limited number of tickets remain for NLCS Games 2 and 3 and a potential Game 7.

So, if you are going to go, here’s a guide on what your fan experience might be like from the time you get in your car until the last out is made. We’d say pack a lunch, since the NLDS series averaged three hours and 45 minutes per game, but no outside bags will be allowed. More on that later.

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First, before you start your car — and we can’t stress this enough — this important common-sense advisory from Rob Matwick, the Rangers executive vice president of business operations.

“If you don’t feel well,” Matwick said before taking a pause. “Stay at home. I understand it’s easy for me to say. I realize its allergy season. I realize there’s 100 other reasons you could say that you maybe don’t feel well. But I think if you feel like you are experiencing symptoms that could be related to COVID, then we would strongly recommend you stay at home, enjoy the game on TV, get your tickets to a family member or friend. Allow them to go. I think that’s just in everybody’s best interest.”

Got it?

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OK, let’s walk the rest of the steps through a safe, socially distanced playoff experience.

An adjacent parking lot sits empty by Globe Life Field during the opening day game of the...
An adjacent parking lot sits empty by Globe Life Field during the opening day game of the Texas Rangers season at Texas Live! in Arlington, Texas, on Friday, July 24, 2020. The Rangers played the Colorado Rockies at the new Globe Life Field stadium, but fans had to watch on televised screens outside due to the ongoing pandemic. (Lynda M. Gonzalez/The Dallas Morning News)(Lynda M. Gonzalez / Staff Photographer)

From your car to the stadium gates: The hope, Matwick said, is to make every element of the fan experience as contactless as possible. Parking passes were available for purchase along with tickets, so fans could have already downloaded passes and will simply need to have the bar code scanned at the parking lot entry gate.

If not, fans may still purchase parking passes at the lot, but all transactions are cashless, so you will have to insert a credit card with chip into a scanner.

There will be eight public lots open. On the North side of the Globe Life Field: Tundra Lot B, Toyota Lot D, RAV 4 Lot J and Sequoia Lot L. On the West side of Globe Life Field: Trdpro Lot T. On the South side of Globe Life Field: Tacoma Lot R, Lot V and Lot W (they ran out of Toyota models, apparently). Parking lots will open two hours prior to first pitch. There will be no tailgating permitted.

Getting into the stadium: Hope you packed a mask. But really nothing else.

Masks or face coverings will be required for entry, but bags — other than those carried for medical reasons or manufactured diaper bags that accompany small children — will not be allowed. The Rangers simply can’t be checking even small bags. The one exception: One sealed non-flavored water (a plastic bottle up to one liter in size).

“We’re trying to do everything we can to mitigate touch,” Matwick said.

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A lot of this, though, requires cooperation and a little bit of faith. Fans will be asked to distance through floor markings as they approach entry gates. Doors to the stadium will be propped open to eliminate a high-touch area. The Rangers have installed digital ticket scanning pedestals at all entry gates, so that gate agents should not need to physically take possession of phones.

There will be no temperature scans. Nor will fans need to sign any kind of waiver to enter the building. There will be multiple hand sanitization stations available upon getting through the entry gates.

Masks will be required at all times, other than when eating. And, yes, that goes for those in suites, too.

The main concourse of the Texas Rangers' new Globe Life Field on Wednesday, March 11, 2020...
The main concourse of the Texas Rangers' new Globe Life Field on Wednesday, March 11, 2020 in Arlington. (Ashley Landis/The Dallas Morning News)(Ashley Landis / Staff Photographer)
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Getting to your seats: You are walking into a brand-new stadium for the first time. You probably want to walk the concourse. Or take a picture at some of the displays around the building. It’s OK.

“I think because our concourses are wide, and because of the number of people that are coming, we will have a pretty generous allocation of spaces on the concourse,” Matwick said. “It’s not 40,000 people, it’s closer to 11,000 people. So it’s not capacity. I get the feeling that because this is really the first time we can welcome guests for baseball, they’re going to want to walk around. I don’t think it will be out of the norm for people to maybe take pictures, see artwork on the walls, take in the view from different parts of the park. I’m probably less worried about them congregating.”

Tickets were sold in “pods” of four and can’t be broken apart. Seats not in use will be tied off so that they can’t be pulled down. The Rangers wanted to eliminate the possibility of fans crossing in front of one another in their rows, so there will be only two pods per row.

There is also some spaced out seating on the concourse, in case fans want to eat before going to their seats. Speaking of …

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You want a hot dog: And maybe a beer.

No worries. At least theoretically. Concessions will be open, though there will be no vendors roaming the aisles. You want to try one of those rattlesnake sausages the Rangers thought were a good idea back in March? Still available. And, of course, Nolan Ryan’s burgers and sausages will be available throughout because, well, Nolan!

There are multiple ways to order to avoid big congregations at concession stands, but it’s important to remember everything will be cashless. Fans can visit kiosks to order remotely for contactless pickup or can order at the fixed concession stands around the building.

Oh, look it’s a foul ball! It’s going to happen. Foul balls are going to go into the stands. Fans are going to rush to grab them. It may result in some momentary close contact.

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The Rangers aren’t even going to try to prohibit this. The “policy” is based mostly on faith in personal responsibility.

“According to the CDC, contact, by definition, is being within six feet for 15 minutes,” Matwick said. “I don’t imagine that encounter is going to take 15 minutes, more like 15 seconds. Somebody gets the ball. People go back to their seats. It’s over. Unless they’re sneezing or coughing on the people trying to get the ball, they should be fine. I think that’s incidental. It’s almost like somebody walking past somebody on the concourse. We need everybody to come together and follow these simple guidelines.”

You lost out on the ball, but now that beer is, um, speaking to you: It is unclear if all the restrooms in the stadium will be open, but there are partitions between all stalls and urinals, so all open restrooms will function at full capacity. The only adjustment will be that every other sink will be turned off and wrapped in plastic to eliminate crowding there. In addition, the restrooms will basically operate in a one-way fashion, with one entry and one exit.

The Rangers will have cleaning staff in the bathrooms and other high-traffic/high-touch areas to regularly clean.

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“We’ve got a phenomenal building,” Matwick said. “We’ve got postseason baseball, and the most important games of the season here in Arlington in this building. We will keep an eye on distancing. We will remind people to maintain their distance and stay safe. If people take advantage of the facilities, we have available for sanitization and wash their hands and just work with us, we will have a great event.”

One thing he can’t do anything about, though: The absence of the Rangers from the playoffs.

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