The Texas Rangers announced Friday that they will play two exhibition games -- Friday, March 29 at 7:05 and Saturday, March 30 at 1:05 p.m. -- against the San Diego Padres at the Alamodome in San Antonio. Tickets go on sale to the general public at noon on Friday, Nov. 30.
Rangers CEO Nolan Ryan was in San Antonio Friday morning for the announcement. It will be the first time baseball has been played at the Alamodome. Ryan Sanders Baseball, the group charged with running the event, has collaborated with AstroTurf -- the official synthetic turf supplier of Major League Baseball -- to build a 133,000 square-foot custom field for the Alamodome floor. Other modifications include custom fencing, walls, padding, netting, dugouts, bullpens, foul poles and more.
"We’re excited about the opportunity to be playing in the first-ever baseball games in the Alamodome,” Ryan said. “We appreciate the support of everyone involved from the city, the Missions and the Padres as well."
San Antonio's mayor, Julian Castro, told the San Antonio Express-News that he believes the game could get local fans interested in trying to attract more big league teams to the city to join the NBA's Spurs. San Antonio is currently home to the Missions, the Double-A affiliate of the San Diego Padres.
"There's no question that San Antonio is getting closer and closer with the explosive growth of population, rising income levels and a booming television market," Castro told the newspaper. "Our city is closer than it ever has been, but it's also still a challenge to predict exactly when we'll get something."