Saturday's Rangers-Halos to get morning start
Weather leads to adjustment of game time to 11:05 a.m. CT as Texas makes final push
An ominous forecast for the Dallas-Fort Worth Metroplex led the Rangers to push up the start time of Saturday's crucial home game against the Angels from 7:05 p.m. CT to 11:05 a.m. Heading into the teams' game on Friday night, Texas trails Cleveland by one game for the second American League Wild Card spot.
"With the possibility of heavy rain affecting Saturday night's game, we feel it is prudent to start earlier in the day," Rangers CEO Nolan Ryan said. "We apologize for any inconvenience this may cause for our fans, but we believe this is the best alternative given the circumstances and the fact it is the last weekend of the regular season."
Moderate showers and thunderstorms are expected to move into the area by early Saturday afternoon and grow more severe throughout the rest of the day, before improving by late Sunday morning or early that afternoon.
The game will be televised, with the Rangers set to announce specific plans later on Friday.
Tickets for the original 7:05 p.m. game will be good only for the new start time. Parking lots at Rangers Ballpark will open at 9 a.m., and gates will open at 9:30.
The teams still are set to close their regular-season slate at 2:05 p.m. on Sunday.