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Ballpark At Arlington
On April 1, 1994, a new era for the Texas Rangers began with the opening of The Ballpark in Arlington. The beautiful baseball-only facility serves as the centerpiece of a 270-acre complex which solidifies Arlington, Texas as an entertainment giant in the Southwest.
The Ballpark in Arlington, completed in just 23 months, is a state-of-the-art building with the utmost in customer convenience. Yet, the 49,115 seat open-air ballpark was designed and built with tradition and intimacy in mind, containing features such as a granite and brick facade, exposed structural steel, an asymmetrical playing field, and a home run porch in right field. Texas architecture is featured throughout, from the outer facade to the Lone Stars in the concourses and on the seat aisles.
This unique complex also includes a baseball museum, a children's learning center, and a four-story office building within the ballpark and a youth baseball park, a 12-acre lake, and parks and recreation space on the perimeter. Total cost of the project was approximately 191 million dollars.
Location
The Ballpark in Arlington is located a quarter mile southeast of the old Arlington Stadium site at the corner of Randol Mill Road and Ballpark Way (formerly Stadium Drive). Parking lots and the other complex features surround the park. The Ballpark in Arlington and the entire complex is easily accessible from Interstate 30, which is adjacent to the north side of the site. Nolan Ryan Expressway, constructed in honor of baseball's all-time strikeout king, runs north to south on the west side of the ballpark and serves as a major access road through the complex.
Size
The Ballpark in Arlington contains approximately 1,400,000 square feet. The Ballpark measures 114 feet from street level to the top of the roof canopy.
Brief History
The agreement between the Rangers and the City of Arlington, Texas to build a new ballpark was announced on October 24, 1990. Actual construction began on April 24, 1992. The ballpark was named on September 28, 1993. The first game was an exhibition contest between the Rangers and New York Mets on April 1, 1994 with the first regular season game played on April 11, 1994 between the Rangers and Milwaukee Brewers.
Playing Field
Natural Grass: The playing surface of The Ballpark in Arlington consists of Bermuda Tifway 419. The sod was grown on a farm in Granbury, Texas, and was laid in 4 by 100 foot strips on the field in October, 1996. Drainage lines are laid every 15 feet over the entire field. The playing surface is then covered by 4-5 inches of pea gravel and 14-15 inches of sand mixture as the field is expected to have the capacity to drain 9-10 inches of water per hour. The field's irrigation system allows the entire outfield to be watered from one station, producing 750 gallons per minute or 50,000 gallons per hour, as compared to 18,000 gallons per hour in Arlington Stadium. The tarp for the field is mounted on a hydraulic lift and is stored below ground down the left field line, preventing any sight problems.
Field Dimensions: As indicated above, the outfield dimensions are asymmetrical, a feature common to ballparks constructed in the early 20th century. From home plate to the left field foul pole is 332 feet with an increase to 390 feet in the left field power alley. Straightaway center field measures 400 feet, then moves to the deepest point, 407 feet, approaching right center. The Rangers' bullpen comes into play in right field as a 381-foot power alley juts out to 377 feet at the right corner of the bullpen. There is again a dramatic decrease in distance in the right field corner as the foul pole sits just 325 feet from home plate.
The outfield fences are eight feet in center and right fields and 14 feet in left. The playing surface is 22 feet below street level.
According to studies done before construction, the prevailing winds are south-southeast. The effect of the wind is greatly reduced by the fact that the ballpark is completely enclosed by a four-story office building in center field. In addition, a giant windscreen, measuring 42 by 430 feet, was installed on the roof of the office building to further minimize the wind.
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