ARLINGTON, Texas — Editor's note: The Associated Press contributed to this article.
Globe Life Field is one of at least five baseball venues in Major League Baseball to update its alcohol sales policy.
According to the new policy, alcohol sales at Globe Life Field will conclude after the eighth inning, or two-and-a-half hours after the start of a game (whichever occurs first and at management discretion). Traditionally, ballparks stop selling alcohol in the seventh inning.
"The Texas Rangers remind you to drink responsibly. Only two alcoholic beverages are allowed per person per purchase," the policy reads. "No alcoholic beverages may be brought or taken out of Globe Life Field."
Through the first 1 1/2 weeks of the season, the average MLB game time has been down 31 minutes because of the rule changes, particularly the new pitch clock.
The Rangers allowed some alcohol sales in the eighth inning last season, but have made that option more widely available in 2023. The team said the move to offer in-seat service to everyone — fans can order on their phones — was done partly in reaction to the pitch clock and the potential of shorter game times so fans would not have to miss extended action waiting in lines at concession stands.
MLB says it does not regulate when teams sell alcohol. Most franchises have used the seventh inning as a cutoff, at least partly to avoid overserving customers who could then get in their cars and drive home.
But in reality, most teams already had areas around the ballpark where fans could get alcohol after the seventh, even if the concession stands stopped serving. Many parks are connected to restaurants or have VIP areas where the booze still flows.
The decision by multiple MLB teams has drawn criticism from Philadelphia Phillies pitcher Matt Strahm. Strahm said Thursday on the Baseball Isn't Boring podcast that teams should be moving the cutoff for beer sales up to the sixth inning, rather than stretching to the eighth or later, since fans will have less time to sober up and drive home.
“If it cuts off sales in the seventh inning, the eighth inning or the ninth inning, that really doesn’t affect our stance because regardless, we just don’t want people to drink alcohol and then drive home from the game,” Erin Payton, regional executive director of MADD, told The Associated Press in a statement.
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