No Damage at Rangers Ballpark After Storms

Ian Kinsler was on the way to Rangers Ballpark with teammate Michael Young when they saw the warnings on highway signs to take shelter immediately.

With heavy storms moving through the region and producing multiple tornadoes Tuesday afternoon, the Texas Rangers stars heeded the warning.

"We were on the way here and we turned back around and went back home," Kinsler said when he finally arrived at the ballpark.

Workers at Rangers Ballpark took shelter in hallways during a pair of tornado warnings when the strong storm front passed through the area hours before the two-time defending American League champions played the Mexico City Red Devils.

Team spokesman John Blake said there was no structural damage at the stadium.

Rangers catcher Mike Napoli posted a video taken from the dugout by catcher Zach Zaneski, a non-roster invitee still with the team for the exhibition game.

Sports Connection

Connecting you to your favorite North Texas sports teams as well as sports news around the globe.

Watch kids adorably fill out Sweet 16 bracket based on team mascots

Kids make March Madness picks based on mascots

"While they were out there, I was inside being safe," Napoli said. "I'm not going outside in a tornado."

Zaneski said he and several other players who had arrived at the stadium early went to the dugout when they heard what was happening. He immediately pulled out his phone and started shooting some video.

The video showed dark clouds rolling through the sky above the stadium. Gusty and swirling winds lifted up the tarp that was covering the field.

"We were just videotaping the sky and all of a sudden it was almost like a train wreck, and the wind got so crazy inside the stadium and it started to pick the tarp up," Zaneski said. "We didn't see any funnel cloud, but you could see where it was picking the water from the tarp up and forming something."

Such weather was a new experience for Zaneski, who is from Connecticut.

"The tarp was in the ground with stakes, and it just got pulled completely out," he said. "Some of those stakes could have gone flying and we wouldn't have even known. It was a lot more dangerous than we really thought."

Young said he and Kinsler left North Dallas early for the ballpark, and it was raining pretty hard before they saw the warning signs on the highway. Kinsler said there wasn't any damage to their homes.

After waiting at Young's house for about a half-hour while the storm passed, they picked up teammate Adrian Beltre and got to the stadium in plenty of time to prepare for the game. Young even napped while Kinsler drove.

"He just drove slow," Young said. "I fell asleep on the way here. I trusted Kinsler."

Copyright AP - Associated Press
Contact Us