The Other Rookie Star of the World Series? Globe Life Field

The Dodgers have taken quite well to Globe Life Field, which has rivaled the Rays’ Randy Arozarena as the star rookie of the baseball postseason. The Dodgers — who were scheduled to face the Rays in Game 6 on Tuesday with a chance to clinch their first championship since 1988 — swept the San Diego Padres in their division series here then took a seven-game National League Championship Series from the Atlanta Braves, overcoming a three-games-to-one deficit.

Counting those games, and a three-game series with the Rangers at the end of August, the Dodgers played 19 times here before Game 6, with 13 victories. They have made one of the league’s more spacious fields seem cozy, bashing 30 homers in those 19 games — or three more than the Rangers managed in their 30 home games in the regular season.

“It’s definitely not small, I’ll tell you that,” said the Dodgers’ Justin Turner, who has three postseason homers here. “We have hit some home runs, but you definitely have to hit it for it to get out of here. We have played a lot of games here, and we are pretty familiar with it. It’s no Dodger Stadium, it’s not our home park, but so far we’ve done a pretty good job.”

Globe Life Field has been an ideal setting for much of baseball’s first mostly neutral-site postseason. The Rangers were never a threat to be here (they went 22-38 in the regular season), and with a retractable roof, weather has not been much of a factor. While it was windy at times in the N.L.C.S., the roof was closed on a chilly night in Game 3 of the World Series and again to keep out rain in Game 5.

The 8,700-square-foot video board above right field has played to the designated home team — Los Angeles for Games 1, 2 and 6; Tampa Bay for the others — and the players get their usual walk-up and warm-up music. Vin Scully gave his trademark greeting before Game 1 (“It’s Time For Dodger Baseball!”), and when the Rays won a wild Game 4, the scoreboard beamed the “Entourage” scene with Johnny Drama shouting “Victory!” from his knees by a canyon. (It’s a Rays thing.)

Article source: https://www.nytimes.com/2020/10/27/sports/baseball/globe-life-field-world-series.html