Baseball News
Thousands celebrate World Champs Texas Rangers at parade in Arlington
It was time for celebration in Arlington, when an estimated half-million people turned out for a parade on November 3 in the Entertainment District to honor the Texas Rangers, who won the first World Series championship in club history on November 1.
Baseball is a notoriously slow-paced sport — and that apparently extends to celebratory parades: The parade was scheduled to kick off at 12:15 pm, but didn't get underway until more than an hour later.
Rangers followers have waited for 61 years for their team to win the Series so what's a few more hours.
Some diehards came the night before, and by 9 am on Parade Day, the sidewalks around the stadium were thronged, while the stadium store was packed with people buying up championship gear. The Arlington Police Department estimated the crowd at half-a-million people.
It felt like a never-ending cacophony of noise - music, noisemakers, and cheering, with more than a little beer drinking on the side.
The parade route consisted of a 2-mile route encircling Globe Life Field, Loews Arlington Hotel, and Choctaw stadium. Parking lots were open but the entire parade route was closed to through traffic.
The "parade" itself amounted to little more than a pair of marching bands, including the Maverick Marching Band from nearby University of Texas at Arlington. More than an hour later, a series of pickup trucks emerged carrying Rangers management and lastly, players with their family members, including World Series MVP Corey Seager and Amerian League Championship Series MVP Adolis García.
Rangers' outfielder Travis Jankowski stood and uninhibitedly chugged a beer, while first baseman Nathaniel Lowe tipped his cap to the crowd and offered salutes from the heart.
A post-parade ceremony in the North Plaza outside Globe Life Field adjacent to Texas Live! featured remarks from officials including Arlington Mayor Jim Ross, Rangers owner Tom Davis, Chris "CY" Young, and manager Bruce Bochy.
Seager was among the few players who spoke, and he referenced a quote from Houston Astros' player Alex Bregman, after the Astros won the division this year.
“Everybody was wondering what would happen if the Astros didn’t win the division. I guess we’ll never know!“ Bregman said.
Seager quipped: "Everybody was wondering what would happen if the Rangers didn’t win the World Series. I guess we’ll never know!"