ARLINGTON, Texas _ Every time Hunter Pence used to see Globe Life Park as a kid growing up in Arlington, he'd have a wild fantasy about one day playing there.
The 12-year veteran who turns 36 in three weeks is living out a lifelong dream suiting up for his hometown Texas Rangers after making the Opening Day roster.
Pence, standing in front of the locker that once belonged to Adrian Beltre, tried to put the moment in perspective before the Rangers' spring training game against the Cleveland Indians on Monday.
"It's pretty amazing. It's definitely exciting to be home," said Pence, who attended Arlington High and UT Arlington. "Its been a long, long time since then but I still remember the first time coming here and the memories and the excitement. I still get the same feeling."
Pence was 11 years old when the ballpark opened in 1994. His first chance to play here was in June 2007 with the Astros. He went 1 for 4 with a double against Kevin Millwood.
That was special, of course, but the chance to suit up in a Rangers' uniform and play every day at his childhood ballpark _ in its last season, by the way _ all helped contribute to an emotional reaction to learning he had made the roster.
"I was not prepared for the emotion I had. It honestly felt like I got called up for the first time again," he said. "It brought tears to my eyes because I knew the road I traveled was a long ways and I had a lot of work to do from who I was as a player at the end of last year."
Baseball, Rangers' manager Chris Woodward said, had kind of written Pence off after he hit .226 with four home runs in 97 games in 2018.
"It tells you something about the character of the man," Woodward said. "I'm very fortunate that he decided on being with us. It's helped me to no end. That clubhouse was already special, but he's just adding more to it, solidifying it."
Pence knew he still loved the game and believed he could still play. But he had to prove it during a long off-season in which he revamped his swing with grueling work in the cage.
"I knew I needed to be a lot better," he said. "I still love this game and for that to pay off and get the opportunity to play in the city I grew up in, it overwhelmed me with joy. I'm very grateful and very proud to be a Ranger."
Pence says the goosebumps still come every time he enters Globe Life Park. It's been that way since he came as a kid, watching his heroes through binoculars from the upper deck.
"So many good memories and every time I come here it's a special feeling. Its going to be unique and really special for me to get to play at this ballpark the whole year," Pence said. "I mainly remember driving by and looking at the architecture and just being in awe of how beautiful it was."
Pence used to think to himself, "Man, how cool would it be to go to work there?"
"It's what I vividly remember thinking every time we drove by it. Just how beautiful it was," he said. "That coming to fruition is pretty special."
