Game Preps Are Hard Work

On the outside, it looks like a typical day at Rangers Ballpark in Arlington.

But on the inside, park employees are creating an atmosphere suitable for baseball; not just any baseball -- playoff baseball.

“I think if you ask the players, [the stadium atmosphere] is extremely important," said Rob Matwick, Rangers executive vice president of ballpark operations. "Our fans have been great."

Before fans take their seats to watch the action on the field, there's a lot of hard work in getting the ballpark ready for a game.

And when it comes to the playoffs, what’s goes on at the Rangers Ballpark is no bush-league operation. Matwick described the process as “intense.”

It takes hundreds of people to prepare the stadium, from concessions to cleaning, from painting the field to hanging brand-new American League Western Division Championship banners around the stadium.

On playoff game days, manpower at the stadium jumps to about 2,000 employees.

Matwick said the club learned from its playoff experience last year. This year, parking lots will open earlier, giving fans more time to get in the gates and get into their seats, all in an effort to give fans a slightly different experience than the regular season.

“During the regular season, fans wander in a little after the first pitch or so. But what we learned last year is that fans come early, and they don't get up out of their seats often once you get them in,” he said.