The Texas Rangers brought baseball to the Alamodome in San Antonio for the first time in spring 2013 when they played two exhibition games against the San Diego Padres. They liked the experience so much that they're coming back for a second time, playing the Houston Astros on March 28 and 29, 2014.
The games are part of H-E-B Big League Weekend, which the city of San Antonio just approved for two more years. The Rangers-Padres games in 2013 brought in more than 75,000 fans to the Alamodome, which had previously hosted only football, basketball and hockey.
The Alamodome will get a bullpen and lighting upgrade to enhance the fan experience.
Although the first games were certainly popular, they weren't a complete success when it came to fan experience. The bullpens of both teams were hidden in the South End tunnels, fans on the third base line had an odd angle to the field and lighting left the corners of the field slightly dark.
Officials are reconfiguring the field this year to alleviate the first two issues, with the bullpens now being located down both baselines, and more lighting will be added to brighten the field.
The games are just one aspect of the Big League Weekend, which will also include a Hall of Fame Luncheon with several MLB Hall of Famers and well-known former Rangers and Astros. There will also be a sports collectible show inside the Alamodome featuring sports cards, autographs and memorabilia that fans can attend free with their game ticket.
No announcement has been made on what teams will be playing in 2015 edition of Big League Weekend. If it proves as popular as the city hopes, there's a possibility the series will be extended through 2017.
Fans can buy two-game packages starting on Friday, November 15, with single game tickets available Monday, December 2. All tickets can be purchased at bigleagueweekend.com.
The dugout the teams used at the Alamodome is just a tad exposed.
