Texas Rangers vs Colorado Rockies Opening Day Pre-Game Notes: #TogetherWe Takes on New Meaning

ARLINGTON, Texas — After a lengthy delay, the Texas Rangers are set to open the 2020 season at Globe Life Field, their brand new retractable-roof stadium in Arlington, Texas. They open up the 60-game season with a three-game series against the Colorado Rockies.

Here's everything to get you ready for first pitch from Globe Life Field:

Colorado Rockies (0-0) @ Texas Rangers (0-0)

Friday, July 24, 2020
7:05 p.m. CT
Globe Life Field | Arlington, TX
Roof Closed

Probables
COL: RHP Germán Márquez (0-0, -.-- ERA)
vs
TEX: RHP Lance Lynn (0-0, -.-- ERA)

Broadcast

Colorado Rockies
TV: AT&T SportsNet Rocky Mountain
Radio: KOA

Texas Rangers
TV: FOX Sports Southwest
Radio: 105.3 The Fan, KFLC

Colorado Rockies Starting Lineup

CF David Dahl
SS Trevor Story
RF Charlie Blackmon
3B Nolan Arenado
1B Daniel Murphy
2B Ryan McMahon
DH Raimel Tapia
LF Sam Hilliard
C Tony Wolters

Texas Rangers Starting Lineup

DH Shin-Soo Choo
SS Elvis Andrus
CF Danny Santana
RF Joey Gallo
2B Rougned Odor
1B Todd Frazier
C Robinson Chirinos
LF Nick Solak
3B Isiah Kiner-Falefa

Injury Report

Willie Calhoun (hip flexor strain)
He ran the bases before Tuesday night's game and was one of the designated hitters on Wednesday night. The Rangers expect Calhoun to DH on Saturday.

Brett Martin (COVID-19)
Martin has been cleared for activity with the team. He threw a bullpen session on Monday. He will remain on the COVID-IL until he is ready to rejoin his teammates for games.

Joely Rodriguez (lat muscle strain)
He threw a bullpen session on Tuesday. Rodriguez said he feels good and Woodward said he looked good. He seems to be progressing nicely.

Rafael Montero (forearm tightness)
He has developed some tightness on the outside of his right forearm. It has taken a little longer than the Rangers anticipated. They are being careful with him. They don't want to rush him since he was already behind after being late to camp due to the birth of his child.

Pre-Game Quotes

Elvis Andrus

On playing games without energy from fans:
"A little bit. I love to interact with fans during the game. I feed of the energy they inject. You need that. With no fans you lose of some of that. I'm going to try to concentrate on my routine and my competitiveness."

On setting club record for 12-straight Opening Day starts:
"Yeah, man, just hearing my name in anything at all next to Michael and Pudge in the Texas organization. It's a really amazing thing. I don't think that—I don't compare myself to them, not even close. They're too good, and I was able to play with both and both were really big in my growing and my development as a player still until this day. It's a really big honor for me to be able to be in this position. And hopefully I don't stop with this year. Hopefully many, many years more."

#TogetherWe are United for Change

The Rangers began using the #TogetherWe hashtag on social media at the beginning of the 2019 season, which helped promote unity on the field. Now, it's taken on a whole new meaning off the field.

The Rangers released a video on social media early on Friday, which was a declaration of unity amongst the team to speak out against social injustice and racism in the United States.

#TogetherWe pic.twitter.com/YGcwjGDMJl
— Texas Rangers (@Rangers) July 24, 2020

Rangers starting pitcher Kyle Gibson spearheaded the video project, jotting down five-to-six paragraphs of his thoughts which ended up being the mainframe of the script. Having the phrase "black lives matter" in the video was a topic of conversation amongst players and staff before putting the video together. The decision to have it in there was based more on the movement rather than the organization.

"That was big part of our conversation," Gibson said. "It was some of the most interesting and coolest conversation, really. While everybody was supportive and is 100 percent behind the movement that Black Lives Matter, not everybody's views aligned with what the [organization] has come to be.

"When we say we put politics aside, we want to mean it. We are distancing ourselves from the political conversation. When we say Black lives matter, that's exactly what we mean."

During batting practice, many Rangers players wore either "Black Lives Matter" shirts or a custom shirt displaying a graphic with different color hands on a bat. The latter was an idea brought up by Todd Frazier of how kids often decide the home team in childhood baseball games and how so many different races and types of people play this game.

The custom shirts also have a quote from Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. on the back, which was selected by pitcher Taylor Hearn:

"Darkness cannot drive out darkness; only light can do that. Hate cannot drive out hate; only love can do that."

-Dr. Martin Luther King Jr.

Gibson praised the open nature of the conversations between different people throughout the organization.

"We wanted to make sure all our teammates were heard and their opinions mattered," Gibson said. "I’m honored to be a part of an organization that has led these talks from the get-go and made this issue that we don’t want to talk about because we don’t want to ruffle feathers."

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