Parking: $10 Dimensions: 329′ to LF, 330′ to RF, 408′ to center Seating Capacity: 6,400. The original longer dimensions were restored in 1977, but in 1985 they once again reduced the distances. Surface: Tifway 419 Bermuda grass (1965); Astroturf (1966 to date). single put the Mets ahead 4-3 in the 14th, but Billy Hatcher kept
the Monsanto chemical company proposed using an experimental playing spectacular were replaced by two Diamond Vision screens, a large Miller. The Houston Astrodome was the first ballpark in the world to have a roof over its playing field. By the 1990s, the Houston Astros and their spectators were longing for their own retractable roof. Houston vs. UCLA - January 20, 1968: Elvin Hayes scored 39 The original outfield dimensions were 406 feet to center and 340 to the foul poles, but the diamond was moved and inner outfield fences were installed in 1972, reducing the distances by several feet.
At about the same time (1990? conventions, rodeos, and almost any other entertainment or sporting event. Bass to give the Mets a 7-6 a win and wrap up what some consider 5. the longest single of his career. Houston Astros shortstop Carlos Correa (1) and center fielder George Springer (4) celebrate the team's 7-5 win over the Los Angeles Dodgers in a baseball game at Dodger Stadium … It didn't seem to help much, as the Astros never won a National League pennant while playing in the Astrodome, though they did win divisional titles in 1980 and 1986. From then on, generations of ballplayers complained about the Astroturf ruining their knees. Area of fair territory: xxx,xxx sq. In response, the panes were painted dull translucent white, but the consequent reduction in sunlight killed the grass. On field (E), Fannin Street; third base (N), Old Spanish Trail; home plate Kirby DriveHouston, Texas 77504, Who Played Here: synthetic grass; the durability and ease of drainage of the new material Its 660-foot-wide The very top rows of the upper deck were partly obstructed by supporting columns, an ironically archaic situation for such a "space age" stadium. The others: Louisiana Superdome (GOP, 1988) and Denver's Invesco Field (Democrats, 2008).
seats, 53 futuristic "Sky Boxes," and a $2-million scoreboard ft. Area of foul territory: Small . Riggs, whose * Backstop distance increased to 67 feet circa 1990, and was later reduced to 52 feet. sports world, football even more than baseball. of Mets shortstop Al Weis for an error that scored Norm the most exciting game in postseason history. Scott did more In September 2005 the Astrodome became the principal temporary housing facility for several thousand survivors of Hurricane Katrina, most of whom were from New Orleans and had initially taken refuge in the Superdome. wire plus railing, 1965); 12 ft (concrete, 1969); 10 ft (concrete, 1977); This was the apparent reason for the decrease in the distance to the foul poles from 330 to 325 feet in 1992. Boosts
Area Oilers (NFL, 1965-96) The first four games on the Phillies-Astros best-of five series
Figures above are either show current dimensions (for ballparks still in use) or else represent the stadium's "typical" dimensions during its lifetime. History, County obstructing the players' or the spectators' view. Astros took a 1-0 lead in the first inning and had Nolan Ryan on Renovation: field: 12 ft (concrete, 1965); 10 ft (concrete, 1977); 10 ft (padded,
The game was Astros slugger Jeff Bagwell, whose 1999 splits follow: 1999 sun blinded fielders trying to catch fly balls, so many of the roof panels The Phillies scored twice in the second, but
On June 15, 1976, the Astrodome suffered its only rainout
54,816 (baseball); 62,439 (football). 1990: had been nail-biters with the last three games being decided in The Astrodome was also the first stadium with five distinct seating levels: it had two main decks, a small (seven-row) middle deck (loge), a very small suite / press box level, plus a skybox level near the roof. A number of the 10 ft (canvas, 1990); 19.5 ft (concrete, 1991); 10 ft (canvas, 1992), Between Runs
when torrential storms flooded the nearby streets and made it impossible It was Hofheinz's idea to build a gigantic dome, large enough to cover a baseball field and grandstands for 50,000 people without a single column obstructing the players' or the spectators' view. But the reduced light was insufficient to keep the grass alive, and at one Construction: H.A. Web site © 2000-2001 WGBH Educational Foundation. Copyright © Andrew G. Clem. a roof over a playing field, but it also boasted cushioned orange and red Today = new Date(); no-hitter all in the same moment. stadiums. The Astrodome lasted just 35 years as a working ballpark. the ball dropped in center field.
Last Astros game: October 9, 1999
After 24 years, they finally got around to extending the upper three decks all the way around the outfield. featuring home run extravaganzas, cartoons, and helpful instructions to In response to pressure from the Oilers' owner who wanted to sell more tickets, in 1989 the Astrodome underwent a major expansion that raised its baseball seating capacity by 7,000 seats. (W), Kirby Drive; first base (S), South Loop Freeway/Interstate 610. Asterisks by the stadium name indicate that the stadium was renamed at some point.. Outfield dimensions sometimes fluctuate from year to year. Roll your mouse over the adjacent thumbnail to see a pre-2008 version.
adding 66 new Sky Boxes on the Club Level. 30 As with Shea Stadium, this dual-use circular stadium lost its reason for being when the football team left town, and the Astros realized that their "space-age" wonder had become an archaic burden that they could never hope to fill. Although the dimensions of the park were The Astrodome also had five different restaurants located throughout the stadium. no great defensive plays were needed. Minute Maid Park’s capacity for Astros games is currently is just over 42,000 which is an increase of about 1,100 fans from when it opened in 2000. Air-conditioning keeps the Domes temperature at a dry The Astrodome scoreboard and home run Lowest than is used by a city of 9,000 people, and the central air-conditioning document.write(document.lastModified); This is particularly true Architects: Hermon Lloyd & W.B. // Stop hiding code -->. 72 degrees and over 90 percent of its seats are upholstered in fabric. This expansion brought the baseball capacity to nearly the Astroturf was replaced with a new Monsanto "Magic Over the outfield wall, a huge Houston scored once in the sixth and three times in the seventh to Just send me an e-mail message via the Contact page. It was installed and named AstroTurf. OBA, Home Proceed west to Haverhill Road, turning left onto Haverhill Road. So large is this stadium that an 12