Minute Maid Park

From SoSH

Contents 1 Stadium History 2 Field Dimensions 3 Wall Height 4 Ground Rules 5 Trivia 6 External Links

Stadium History

On November 5, 1996, the voters of Harris County approved the construction of a new ballpark in downtown Houston. Astros owner Drayton McLane Jr. had agreed that September to keep his team in Houston if the ballot measure passed. The $265 million ballpark has a retractable roof and a natural grass playing surface. It covers about 25 acres downtown in the area just northeast of the old Union Station.

Having a retractible roof made the Houston project special for HOK, a Kansas City base company that has helped design many of the new stadiums around baseball. The retractable roof, which cost $65 million, would reportedly open or close quietly in less than 20 minutes without interrupting the game.

On April 7, 1999, Houston-based Enron Corporation agreed to pay more than $100 million over 30 years to name the stadium Enron Field. However, on December 2, 2001 Enron became the largest corporation in history to declare bankruptcy. On February 27, 2002, the Astros made an agreement with Enron to buy back the naming rights. After two full seasons of being called Enron Field, the home of the Houston Astros then became temporarily know as Astros Field. On June 5, 2002, the Astros announced that the Minute Maid Company, a locally-based subsidiary of the Coca-Cola Company since 1960, will pay an estimated $170 million for a 28-year naming rights deal.

Field Dimensions

Left Field	Left Center	Center Field	Right Center	Right Field
315'	362'	435'	373'	326'

Wall Height

Left Field	Center Field	Right Field
21’	9’	7’

Ground Rules

In addition to adhering to the Universal Ground Rules, Minute Maid Park also employs the following ground rules:

OUTFIELD AREA

• Batted ball strikes screen in left-center field and rebounds onto playing field: In Play.

• Batted ball goes through or lodges in out-of-town scoreboard, either on bounce or in flight: Two Bases.

• Batted ball in flight strikes yellow line on fence or top of railing in left center field and bounds into stands: Home Run.

• Batted ball in flight strikes yellow line on fence or top of railing in left center field and rebounds onto the playing field: In Play.

• Batted ball hits the top of the out-of-town scoreboard ledge and goes into the stands: Two Bases.

• Batted ball hits the side railing of the Crawford boxes and goes into the stands: Two Bases.

• Batted ball strikes higher wall or railing and rebounds over lower wall: Home Run.

• Batted ball in flight strikes flagpole and leaves the field: Home Run.

• Batted ball strikes flagpole and rebounds onto playing field: In Play.

• Batted ball strikes flagpole and rebounds onto playing field and then bounces over fence: Two Bases.

ROOF

Batted ball strikes roof over fair territory:

• Ball shall be judged fair or foul in relation to where it strikes the ground or is touched by a fielder.

• If caught by fielder, batter is out and runners advance at own risk.

• Batted ball strikes roof over foul territory: DEAD BALL

Trivia

• Formerly Enron Field and Astros Field
• Hosted the 2004 All-Star Game
• Tal’s Hill, a tribute to Crosley Field, is a 10° grass-covered incline in the deepest part of center field. It was named after the man who came up with the idea, Astros president Tal Smith.
• As a tribute to Tiger Stadium, a flagpole stands in fair territory just two feet from the fence on Tal’s Hill.

External Links

• Update