Texas Rangers Hope Fans Match Orioles' Fervor For Globe Life Field Playoff Opener
BALTIMORE — The roar was deafening, even when there was no reason to be loud.
Baltimore Orioles fans have suffered as long as Texas Rangers fans and let it all out during Games Nos. 1 and 2 of the ALDS at Camden Yards.
But the Rangers quelled every roar with runs and shutdown pitching to take both games entering Game 3 at 7 p.m. Tuesday at Globe Life Field.
Like the Orioles, the Rangers hadn't played a playoff game since 2016. And their fans were ready to let loose.
Now the Rangers return home after two weeks on the road for their first playoff game at their new ballpark.
"It’s gonna be awesome for us, if we do something on the field, just to get that crowd cheering for us," Marcus Semien said. "It’s just more energy for us. The crowd was great here [in Baltimore], they made it tough on us. We've been on the road a long time, overall we’ve been playing great baseball at home and now we have an even bigger crowd behind us. It will be fun."
The Rangers' use of music by the rock band Creed in their clubhouse before games has become a staple for the players while they've battled through rough patches in August and September ahead of the postseason. There could be a perfectly-timed use of a Creed song during Tuesday's game that the team hopes fans sing along to. Even the band's official X account posted a message in support of the Rangers.
But no matter what music plays, the Rangers expect Globe Life Field to hit all-time high decibel levels with the club going for a sweep.
"You can only hope that it would be like [Camden Yards], really loud," Rangers third baseman Josh Jung said. "Your job on the road is to silence the crowd as much as you can. It was hard to silence [the Orioles'] crowd, they were loud pretty much all game. Hopefully, when get home, we can get Globe Life rockin'."
The last time Jung remembers playing under so much pressure was the 2018 Super Regional between his Texas Tech Red Raiders and Oklahoma State in Lubbock. Jung led Tech to back-to-back College World Series in front of 4,782 packed into Rip Griffin Park. Just a few less than the nearly 47,000 at a sold-out Camden Yards. Or the 40,000 or so who will be waving red rally towels in Arlington.
"That prepared me for stuff like this," Jung said. "For me, I have to breathe. It’s good butterflies. I feel it in my stomach. I have to remind myself that I am prepared for this moment. And remember, emotions are for the fans, let’s just go play ball."
Fellow rookie Evan Carter still doesn't appear fazed by much of anything. Even the raucous crowd in Baltimore.
"It’s going to be fun to have that crowd and that loudness for you for the first time in my career," said Carter, who is batting .500 with three RBI in the postseason. "I’m not a big get really fired up in the game kind of person anyways. Honestly, I don’t hear much of anything going on when I’m playing. But I’m going to try to soak it in when we’re at home. I know it's going to be a great crowd."
Although there were postseason games played in 2020 at Globe Life Field, including the Los Angeles Dodgers' World Series title over the Tampa Bay Rays, during the COVID-shortened season, and fans were in attendance to see then-Dodger Corey Seager earn MVP honors, the atmosphere was muted, to say the least, because the park not filled with a partisan crowd.
Rangers manager Bruce Bochy isn't sure what to expect from fans Tuesday night.
"We've been gone for two weeks so I really can't tell you the mood, the tempo, or spirit of what's going on around the city," Bochy said. "But we certainly hope we'll have a similar atmosphere that we saw in Baltimore because they were really excited about their team. So I'm looking forward to seeing exactly where we're at with all this."
Bochy added that the home fans were in it the last time the Rangers were in Arlington.
"Before we hit that road trip, you could feel it here. You could sense it, the excitement, enthusiasm, electricity in the ballpark."
Bochy said the atmosphere between the 19,000 on hand for the Rangers' two-game sweep of the Rays at Tropicana Field in the Wild Card round stood in stark contrast with the rabid Orioles fans waving orange rally towels.
"For us, I think it's big. I think the players feed off [the crowd], no question about it. They're so important," he said. "And part of their enthusiasm is that's adrenaline we run on too because it's been a tough grind. These guys have gone through a lot. It certainly does a lot to help pick them up."
Creed Singalong at Globe Life Field?
You can follow Stefan Stevenson on Twitter @StefanVersusTex.
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