Visits: May 2005, July 2008
Roof Statuses: Opened and closed
After playing 25 years in baseball’s first ever indoor venue the Houston Astros would move into their new yard in 2000. Originally opened as Enron Field, Minute Maid Park is another venue in a city with sweltering weather where a retractable roof is a necessity.
Though not entirely like Camden Yards in Baltimore, parts of what was part of the neighborhood are integrated into Minute Maid Park. Sitting on the site of a former rail station, fans entering from Crawford Street behind the Crawford Boxes in left field walk through the lobby of a former train station.
In a nod to it’s former rail site, a replica locomotive runs atop tracks above the Crawford Boxes. The locomotive, filled with replica oranges, makes it’s runs as the Astros take the field and for every home run.
One of Minute Maid Park’s unique features for many years was Tal’s Hill. Once located in deep center field, Tal’s Hill featured a grassy incline beyond the center field warning track that also had a flagpole in play. Meant to evoke yards past such as Crosley Field and Tiger Stadium, Tal’s Hill would eventually give way to more dining and social space.
Of the four retractable roof yard’s I’ve had the chance to visit, Minute Maid Park really is a bandbox. When the roof is open, this intimate yard gives the impression that you are outdoors, unlike Arizona’s Chase Field where the cheesy outfield advertising panels just hurt that yard’s aesthetic feel.
It’s been 13 years since I’ve been inside the juice box. A rookie pitcher for the Dodgers named Kershaw was close to getting his first MLB win during one of three games I had the chance to see. He would leave the game in the 7th inning with a 6-1 lead. The Astros would rally in the home 7th before a Jeff Kent home run in extras would give my Dodgers the win. I swear I heard some trashcan’s banging from the Astros dugout during that 7th inning rally…
Check out our most recent Stadium Journey review of the gameday experience at Minute Maid Park.
Journey's With Drei-Mart 