Arlington and the rest of North Texas will be baseball heaven next week as Globe Life Field hosts the 2024 All-Star Game on Tue., July 16. Baseball’s greatest players will come together for the 94th Midsummer Classic, a sports extravaganza that reigns supreme among the country’s four major sports leagues.
Baseball’s “Crown Jewel,” as Rangers owner Ray Davis calls it, will have a significant economic impact, bringing tens of millions of dollars to DFW.
It’s been 29 years since the All-Star Game was held here. What a time that was. I saw my childhood hero Mickey Mantle. He was 64 years old and making a surprise appearance in his Yankees pinstripes with the familiar No. 7 on his back. Walking along the third-base line, he chatted with some of the players and coaches before the All-Stars’ workout.
However, it was the heat that I remember most. Rangers Manager Bruce Bochy recalls being at the Home Run Derby that year with his son and having to leave early because of the dreadful weather.
The following day was just as hot — 101 degrees, to be exact — when Rangers great and baseball legend Nolan Ryan threw out the ceremonial first pitch. Also that year, fan-fest activities were scattered throughout the Metroplex. That will not be the case this year. The game will be played in a stadium where the inside temperature stays a cool 74 degrees, and the majority of fan-fest activities will be in Arlington’s Entertainment District (Globe Life Field, Choctaw Stadium, and the newly created Esports Stadium) and the North Lawn.
“Arlington is proud to welcome baseball’s All-Stars to our city to show off their skills in one of the best stadiums in the country,” said Arlington Mayor Jim Ross.
Over the years, I have been to about half a dozen All-Star games and pregame festivities, and it looks like this year’s will surpass them all as Arlington and the Rangers are going all out.
Baseball fans like myself will be treated to a wide array of fan-friendly activities surrounding the games. Besides the All-Star Game itself, Globe Life Field will also host the HBCU Swingman Classic, the All-Star Futures Game, the All-Star Celebrity Softball Game, the Home Run Derby, and the increasingly popular Red Carpet Show, where players, wearing a lot of bling, model wild but also often thoughtfully designed clothes.
Planning for the five-day extravaganza began on Nov. 17, 2022, when baseball commissioner Rob Manfred made the announcement. He said MLB is indebted to the Rangers for their willingness and ability to host playoff games and the World Series in 2020 during the pandemic. He indicated that he and the league took that into “great consideration.”
Another reason, the commissioner said, is that “Globe Life Field is an unbelievable state-of-the-art facility, and we are excited to once again feature baseball’s newest ballpark on a global stage.”
It all begins on Fri., July 12, with the Swingman Classic, an annual All-Star game featuring student-athletes from D-I HBCU programs. There also will be a battle of the bands between two premier HBCU marching bands: Prairie View A&M’s Marching Storm and Texas Southern’s Ocean of Soul.
On Saturday, the All-Star Futures Game at Globe Life Field will put more of baseball’s top prospects on the field than any other event. Three Rangers prospects — pitchers Emiliano Teodo and Winston Santos as well as infielder Sebastian Walcott — will play for the American League team that will be managed by Rangers Hall of Famer Michael Young. The National League team will be managed by Rangers Hall of Famer and soon-to-be National Baseball Hall of Fame inductee Adrian Beltre.
Following the Futures Game will be the inaugural Futures Skills Showcase, in which eight Futures players will take part in a batting competition, trying to hit specific targets on the field.
The day’s events will end with the All-Star Celebrity Softball Game with stars from music, screen, stage, and sports, plus MLB legends.
Photo by Ozzie Garza.
On Sun., July 14, one of the major events of All-Star week will be in Fort Worth. For the fourth consecutive year, the MLB Draft will take place during All-Star week, and opening night will be at the Cowtown Coliseum in the Stockyards.
But the main feature of the festivities is the Capital One All-Star Village, which will host All-Star events inside Choctaw Stadium and the nearby Esports Stadium. Open Sat., July 13, through Tue., July 16, the Village will feature appearances from legendary baseball players and dozens of interactive baseball-themed attractions for all ages, plus a Ferris Wheel. There will also be the Capital One Play Ball Park, where kids can play informal games on differently sized diamonds.
Throughout the week, fans will have the opportunity to receive free autographs and participate in question-and-answer sessions with former players, who will also lead clinics.
This will be the first All-Star Game since 1939 to be hosted by the reigning World Series Champions. Managers of the two teams that vied for the title last year — Bochy and Torey Lovulllo of the Arizona Diamondbacks — will once again meet at home plate as the All-Stars and starting lineups are introduced.
What a difference a year makes. Last year, the Rangers had six players named to the American League All-Star team, five of them starters. This year, only two players — second baseman Marcus Semien and closer Kirby Yates — were named to the All-Star roster. Neither will start.
For Bochy, this will be his fifth as an All-Star manager. His previous four were with the National League club. This will be his first as the skipper of the American League squad.
The All-Star rosters were announced last month and include familiar names as well as 32 first-timers, including the Pittsburgh Pirates’ 22-year-old rookie phenom Paul Skenes, who has pitched in just 10 games but is 5-0. Another newbie is Cincinnati Reds speedster Elly de la Cruz, who leads the Major League in stolen bases so far with 40.
Among the most recognizable names are Japanese sensation Shohei Ohtani of the Dodgers, superstar Bryce Harper of the Phillies, and the top vote-getter in the fan balloting, Aaron Judge of the Yankees.
For Judge, coming to Arlington should bring back good memories. It was here where he hit two historic home runs: the last at Globe Life Park (Sep. 29, 2019) and, three years later, on Oct. 4, 2022, at Globe Life Field, his 62nd home run, becoming the single-season American League home run champ, surpassing Roger Maris.
Dodgers shortstop Mookie Betts is looking forward to again playing on the field where his team won the World Series in the shortened 2020 season, and Diamondbacks second baseman Ketel Marte may not be too excited to play where his team succumbed to the Rangers in the 2023 World Series. It was Marte who made the final out after taking a called third strike from pitcher Josh Sborz.
For Orioles shortstop Gunnar Henderson and catcher Adley Rutschman, it will be a week-long stay in the area as they have a three-game series with the Rangers at Globe Life Field following the All-Star Game.
The game is also a homecoming for Bobby Witt Jr., a Colleyville Heritage High School star and now shortstop for the Kansas City Royals. Former Rangers Jurickson Profar of the San Diego Padres and Emmanuel Clase of the Cleveland Guardians will be back in the area where they began their Major League careers.
Baseball is definitely an international game as 24 All-Stars were born outside the United States. There are 10 players from the Dominican Republic, six from Venezuela, two from Japan, two from Puerto Rico, and one each from Canada, Cuba, Curacao, and Mexico.
A frequent contributor to the Fort Worth Weekly, Ozzie Garza has been writing about the Rangers for more than 25 years.
Photo by Ozzie Garza.
