Congratulations to the Texas Rangers for capturing the American League pennant, behind MVP Nelson Cruz. The Texas right fielder set a new record for the most home runs (6) in a postseason series, surpassing Reggie Jackson’s 5 homers in 1977 and Chase Utley’s 5 dingers in 2009. Cruzin\’ with Nelson
Cruz had 13 RBI in six games, the most in Major League Baseball history and he hit .364 (8 for 22) – not bad for a 7th place hitter in the lineup. The Rangers will open on the road against the National League champ and will return to Arlington for games 3, 4 and 5.
Rangers Ballpark in Arlington is a retro ballpark with natural grass and terrific sight lines that put you right on top of the action (see picture below):
In fact, the closest seats on both the first and third base sides are just 56 feet from home plate, shorter than the distance from the pitcher’s mound to the catcher.
The park has a facade of granite and brick, with a home run porch in right field. There’s also a hill made of grass over the center field fence, providing a natural green backdrop for hitters at the plate:
The grassy knoll slopes gently upward to the foot of a four-story building in deep center, which serves as the Rangers executive offices. When Matt and I visited the park 5 years ago, the Rangers were hosting Justin Verlander and the Detroit Tigers.
The Tigers won that game 7-0. Verlander is today one of the most dominant pitchers in baseball, but the Rangers are in the World Series – and I’ll be rooting for them to bring home their first championship ever!
