Rangers Coach To Sing National Anthem On Opening Day
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ARLINGTON (CBSDFW.COM) - A coach who beat cancer will sing the National Anthem and the mayor responsible for a new ballpark will toss out the first pitch on Opening Day for the Texas Rangers.
The 2017 home opener is Monday, April 3 versus the Cleveland Indians at Globe Life Park in Arlington at 6:05 p.m.
All reserved seats have been sold for the 2017 home opener except for scattered singles and obstructed view seats.
Standing room tickets are also available.
Rangers' third base coach Tony Beasley, who has performed the National Anthem on many different occasions, will do the honor. Beasley is in his third season on the Rangers' major league staff. He saw limited activity with the club in 2016 when he underwent treatment for rectal cancer. The recipient of the DFW BBWAA Chapter's 2016 Harold McKinney Good Guy Award was declared cancer-free last December and returned to his full duties in spring training.
Mayor Williams was instrumental in the City of Arlington's partnership with the Rangers to build a new ballpark just south of Globe Life Park in Arlington and with the Rangers and The Cordish Companies on the development and construction of Texas Live! Mayor Williams' pitch will be caught by 2017 National Baseball Hall of Fame electee Ivan Rodriguez.
The opening day ceremonies will include the official raising of the 2016 A.L. West Division Championship flag on top of the centerfield office building. The United States Air Force Wings of Blue Parachute Team will perform a jump onto the field at Globe Life Park with the State of Texas flags and the 2016 A.L. West Division Championship flag.
Following the National Anthem, there will be a flyover of T-38's from the United States Air Force 88th Fighter Training Squadron of Sheppard Air Force Base in Wichita Falls, Texas.
Globe Life Park cash parking lots will open at 1:00 p.m. and ballpark gates will open at 3:00 p.m. on opening day.
The Rangers encourage fans to arrive early. As was instituted in 2015, all fans will be required to undergo Major League Baseball mandated metal detection screening before entering the ballpark.
