HOUSTON The roof at Minute Maid Park was open for Game 2 of the World Series between the Houston Astros and Atlanta Braves. The iconic Train at Minute Maid Park is a staple among Houston Astros games as it runs each time a home run is hit. The left field side of the park pays homage to the old Union Station by having a railway above the left field wall, with a train appropriately filled with oranges. Downtown Houston to Minute Maid Park train services, operated by Metropolitan Transit Harris County, arrive at Convention District Rusk EB station. Bobby Dynamite dropped all kinds of fun facts about Astros' train on us, Bobby Vasquez, aka Bobby Dynamite, has the enviable job of conducting the train at Minute Maid Park. [39] The electrification of Minute Maid Park's retractable roof was developed by VAHLE, Inc.[40]. 2016 Werkstatt. Most Astros fans know the basics of the train: Its a 15-foot tall and 56-foot long replica of an 1862 steam locomotive that was brought to Houston when Minute Maid Park then known as the Ballpark at Union Station - opened in 2000. This year were hoping he makes that trip plenty more times, and to honor the fan favorite, weve dug up some numbers about Bobby and the famed Minute Maid Park train. All rights reserved. [76] Home runs must clear a 19-foot wall in front of the elevated boxes houses which the hand-operated out-of-town scoreboard, displaying the day's other games. [70][71] The incline was inspired by similar features that used to exist at Crosley Field and Fenway Park. Vasquezs superpower though must be his bladder. The train that Astros fans know and love is just a quarter bigger than a real locomotive. The actual Union Station opened in 1911. Record: 50-104. [51], In April 2022, Minute Maid Park received Amazon's "Just Walk Out" technology for two of its concession stands, becoming the first MLB stadium to incorporate cashierless stores.[52]. . The Astros reported that despite water entering into the service levels of the stadium, Minute Maid Park remained in "good condition" when the storm cleared out. (Photo by Chin Phan) PC Moment . Built on the eastern edge of downtown Houston, the baseball-only facility actually looks like a football stadium on the outside, as Minute Maid Park appears more rectangular than the traditional square shaped footprint that ballparks occupy. [69], Until 2016, center field featured a 90-foot (27m) wide incline called Tal's Hill, named for former team president Tal Smith. It's a very cool touch, and fans can enter the ballpark through Union Station (possibly after purchasing some exciting products). Every time the Astros get a home run, Vasquez moves the train down the track to the roar of the crowd. [24] Eckels, who convinced then Mayor Bob Lanier of the lack of viability for the ballpark in a downtown location, was quoted as saying, "They keep telling me about these miracles in other cities, but it doesn't work in Houston [] If we are going to put this stadium some place, let's stick with a proven place. The ballpark was Houston's first retractable-roofed stadium, protecting fans and athletes from Houston's notoriously humid weather as its predecessor, the Astrodome, did, but allowing fans to also enjoy outdoor baseball . Minute Maid Park train conductor Bobby Vasquez is silhouetted against the sunset outside the stadium during the third inning of a Houston Astros game against the St. Louis Cardinals on Tuesday, June 25, 2013, in Houston. Select from premium Minute Maid Park of the highest quality. That could change this season, and as usual, Bobby Dynamite will have the best seat in the house. Carlos Lee of the Astros scores in the first inning. Speed of train when a home run is hit, in mph, Train tracks height from field level, in feet, Most train trips in one game (Sept. 9, 2019 vs Oakland), Most home run-fueled train trips in one season (2019), Home runs celebrated at Minute Maid Park in 2020, Total train trips ever, including playoffs (as of the end of the 2020 season), Total number of games logged by Bobby Dynamite. Every time the Astros get a home run, Vasquez moves the train down the track to the roar of the crowd. They were the most modern stadiums in the world, and now they're saying they're all bad. It was a tribute of sorts to old Crosley Field, which also featured a hill in center. This is a view of Minute Maid Park in Houston not many people get to see from atop the left-field train! Bobby Vasquez, aka Bobby Dynamite, has the enviable job of conducting the train at Minute Maid Park. minute maid park section The Train. Ty Wigginton became the third Astro to hit the left field pole on September 16, 2007. One of the biggest hits inside Minute Maid Park, besides the dudes in the home dugout, is the train90 feet above the field. God Bless Texas and all the glories that come with a good sportsball game. The roof is occasionally opened during October playoff games.[78]. In June 1997, with the ability to create a sports authority signed into law, concurrent votes of the Harris County Commissioners' Court and the Houston City Council to establish the Harris County-Houston Sports Authority on effective September 1, 1997. Aug. 4, 2019. Houston is known to be one of the best live entertainment destinations in Texas, if not all of the United States, and places like Minute Maid Park certainly contribute to that reputation. We'll make it Craig Biggio's 3,000th hit on June 28, 2007 A little bathos when he got pegged going for second, but it counts! If we had seats further down the aisle, the view would've been much better. There was a flagpole in play on the incline, an element inspired by Yankee Stadium before its remodeling in the mid-'70s, and Tiger Stadium as well. The sounds you hear coming from the train when the Astros hit a home run or celebrate a victory come from speakers in the coal car, controlled by an iPad that Vasquez uses. Artist Eric Kaposta puts the finishing touches on his "lucky lady bug" as he works to finish painting a sculpture of oranges that will soon fill the coal tender behind the 1860s replica locomotive at Minute Maid Park Thursday, March 26, 2009, in Houston. The retractable roof is a pretty impressive one, as such things go. 3. row. Hunter Pence is the first and second Astros player to ever hit the left field "Fowl Pole" when he did it twice in the 2007 season. Rabbit Vs Hare Skull, Early stadium sketches from Kansas City-based HOK Sport (now Populous) using the working title "The Ballpark at Union Station" were released to the public on October 11, 1996, where Astros President Tal Smith was open about his suggestions for the stadium including the location of the flagpole in center field and a traditional dirt path from the pitcher's mound to home plate. For games when the roof is open and temperatures are still in the 80s, families and those sensitive to the sun will want to avoid most seats on the first-base . In total, the three roof panels weigh more than 5,700 metric tons. For home runs, it makes a 40-second trip back and forth on its track. Also, Torchy's Tacos in the center field concourse has fried avocados. We'll give it Section C of the Diamond Club seats behind home plate. With this move, the building became only office space for the HB&T as well as the Missouri Pacific Railroad. The location of Minute Maid Park is in downtown Houston, Texas in the United States. Houston Astros vs Seattle Mariners. Minute Maid Park. A 15-foot-high and 56-foot-long replica of an 1862 steam locomotive takes up almost all the space at the SMI Hydraulics Inc. shop in Porter, Minn., Tuesday, Feb. 29, 2000. The train at Minute Maid Park passes under a sign declaring the ballpark as the site of the 2004 All-Star Game during a game between the San. Well, that home run shot from the young Washington Nationals star is now headed to the Baseball of Hall of Fame. Bus : 11 137 20 247 269 30 41 48 6. The Astros transferred to the American League for the 2013 season, resulting in the, In late October 2017 the Astros hosted three, In late October 2019, the Astros hosted four games of the, This page was last edited on 28 February 2023, at 18:07. Plus people walked up and down the stairs all through the game. This year the Topps baseball card company honored the Astros train and Vasquez with its own card. 1 most stressful city for U.S. workers, Astros GM provides update on Yordan Alvarez's hand injury, Bun B on bringing Southern rap stars to Houston's Rodeo, Astros' Cristian Javier says spilled coffee's temperature was just a '3 out of 10', Astros 2-0 win over the Mariners on Tuesday, forward and reverse button inside the train and joystick with a deadmans switch, Watch: Houston Astros' Luis Garcia debuts new windup, Houston pitmaster goes viral after hilarious on-air interview with reporter, Houston is in for dust and gray skies as Texas haboob hits city, 'Call me a Nazi': Former Houston-area pastor calls for state book ban, Former KHOU 11 anchor Lily Jang turns layoff into lucrative real estate career, Your essential and exhaustive guide to 2023 Houston rodeo food, KPRC 2 anchor Brandon Walker announces he is leaving the network, A brief history of the train at Minute Maid Park, there may be more fun train facts coming throughout the season. Add the train high above left field to Tals Hill on the list of Minute Maid Park quirks potentiallyon the chopping block. Bobby Dynamite conducts the Astros Train at Minute Maid Park during home games on Thursday, Aug. 1, 2013, in Houston. Situated near the George R. Brown Convention Center, the ballpark is located one block west of U.S. 59 and is bounded by Congress Avenue on the north, Texas Avenue on the South, Crawford Street on the west and Hamilton Street on the east. Altuve went 2-for-4 at the plate and scored a run, but it wasn't enough to prevent the Astros from losing their fourth straight game. Owner Jim Crane said Wednesday that the club will weigh removing both . It also happens to have a view into the stadium when the roof is open -- as it was Tuesday, for one of the only times all season. There is a manually-operated out-of-town scoreboard in left, below the Crawford Boxes. Vasquez, who has been the trains conductor since 2001, gave his nearly 14,000 Twitter followers lots more info during the Astros 2-0 win over the Mariners on Tuesday. [21] Drayton McLane pointed toward Astrodome renovations as necessary saying "It's 30 years old and not a lot of money has been spent to remodel it. Ever since 2001, the year he started the gig, any time an Astro hits a home run, Dynamiteknown to some as Bobby Vasquezhops in the replica General 4-4-0 steam locomotive, loaded with plastic oranges in a nod to the stadiums namesake, and helps take it down the track, activating those whistles, and causing a general uproar. In this case, 325 is the minimum distance down the left field line. Notion Mastery By Marie Poulin, Time was when the neighborhood around Union Station before there was any such thing as Union Station was called Quality Hill. Hitters love how the left-field wall is only 315 feet (96 meters away, and spectators enjoy a retractable roof to create ideal conditions for a game, no matter the weather. Union Station last served as a rail depot in 1974 and in 1977 was added to the National Register of Historic Places. Perchance was there -- despite the Minute Park Roof being closed -- a nearby pigeon?". Bobby Dynamite, conductor of the Houston Astros Train at Minute Maid Park, explains the different whitles used during home games on Thursday, Aug. 1, 2013, in Houston. The stadium has a natural grass playing field. Sotos solo home run helped the Nationals tie the Astros 2-2 in the top of the fourth inning in Game 1. Ever since 2001, the year he started the gig, any time an Astro hits a home run, Dynamiteknown to some as Bobby Vasquezhops in the replica General 4-4-0 steam locomotive, loaded with plastic oranges in a nod to the stadiums namesake, and helps take it down the track, activating those whistles, and causing a general uproar. Vazquez told Chron.com in 2013 that he drives the 60,000-pound train at a slow and safe 2.5 mph. The Astros set a franchise record with their 12th . In 2017, the park and the entire city suffered from the devastation of Hurricane Harvey, which flooded many parts of the city with several feet of rain over four days. Minute Maid Park. Author: . It was brought to Houston on March 13, 2000, to serve as an attraction for baseball fans and citizens. Vasquez, who got his nickname because he used to do the dance that was popularized in the move "Napoleon Dynamite," has been driving the Astros' train for 17 years. A True Field of Childhood Dreams. Christopher Yancy, Cason Paul, Claire Paul run the bases at Minute Maid Park during the Texas Children's Hospital Family Fun Day. Minute Maid Park was built on the site of Houston's Union Station. 1 most stressful city for U.S. workers, Astros GM provides update on Yordan Alvarez's hand injury, Bun B on bringing Southern rap stars to Houston's Rodeo, Hakeem Olajuwon, Clyde Drexler share a moment before Game 6, What Houston Astros players looked like as kids, Watch: Houston Astros' Luis Garcia debuts new windup, Houston pitmaster goes viral after hilarious on-air interview with reporter, Houston is in for dust and gray skies as Texas haboob hits city, 'Call me a Nazi': Former Houston-area pastor calls for state book ban, Former KHOU 11 anchor Lily Jang turns layoff into lucrative real estate career, Your essential and exhaustive guide to 2023 Houston rodeo food, KPRC 2 anchor Brandon Walker announces he is leaving the network, The man behind the Astros radio broadcasts, and bumper music. Tamil Nadu 600028, +91 91763 26594 Minute Maid Park is a retractable roof stadium in Houston, Texas, . Vasquez has been on the job since 2001. The glass in the roof on the northwest side of the park keeps Minute Maid Park from having a "dome" feel, even when the roof is closed, as it was for Game 1. Signs with the previous logo and colors were also replaced. The weather forecast is in the low 60s on Wednesday night. Houston is about a three-hour drive from San Antonio and Austin, and just a shade under four hours from the Dallas/Fort Worth area. The Astros sold naming rights of the ballpark in 2002 to locally based Coca-Cola subsidiary Minute Maid for $100 million over 30 years. He's been with the Astros since he was just 22 years old, starting out as a tour department intern before jumping on the train. Why a train? Minute Maid Park, previously named Enron Field before Enron Corporation went bankrupt and also known as Astros Field, is the home of the Major League . A brief history of the train at Minute Maid Park. After the 2008 season, the Astros' groundskeepers began installing 2.3 acres (9,300m2) of a new turfgrass playing surface at Minute Maid Park. The following transit lines have routes that pass near Minute Maid Park (Houston Astros) Bus : 11 137 269 41 6 82. [80] The Hill was criticized numerous times owing to the incline having the potential to cause injury to fielders unused to it. To pay respect to the once very busy train station, the park used the Union Station as the main entrance, while the train and train tracks can be seen at the left side of the field. As such, the Astros' ballpark -- if it was to be constructed in adjacency to Union Station -- would need to incorporate it into the design. Astros delay removal of CF Hill", "Astros delay renovations to Minute Maid; Tal's Hill lives another year", "Seafood chain turns up the juice for naming rights to ballpark seats", Open or shut? Minute Maid Park hosted a cricket match on November 11, 2015, the second in a series of three Cricket All-Stars matches played by retired greats of the game. [33] Its chairman and 12 other directors were jointly appointed by the Mayor of Houston and Harris County Judge. 10 Things You Can't Miss at an Astros Game at Minute Maid Park. On The Train in LF. That apartment happens to be across the street from Minute Maid Park. The Astros have been to only one World Series (2005) and have never won a championship. Keeping with the naming conventions from the previous match at Minute Maid Park, the ends were named after Nolan Ryan and Jos Cruz, two players that have their numbers retired by the Astros. It can go 10 mph but it's not the safest thing to do up there. The location called for the demolition of several structures of Houston prominence. Mostly that's because it truly retracts -- when it's fully open, the entire playing surface is exposed, making for the largest open area of any retractable roof currently in use. 5-4, with Game 2 set for 7 p.m. Wednesday at Minute Maid Park. [77], Games are typically played with the roof open only in April and May before the Houston summer heat arrives. Every since the Dodgers moved to Los Angeles and spent time in the absurd baseball environment that was the L.A. The Rangers keep releasing updated renderings of Globe Life Field and fans -- at least the ones with the loudest Twitter voices -- keep responding: "It looks too much like Minute Maid Park." Staff are friendly and helpful. In 1909, during the time when West End Park was Houston's premier residential area, the Houston Belt and Terminal Railway Company commissioned the design of a new union station for the city from New York City-based architects Warren and Wetmore. April 1, 2021 The ballpark was named "Enron Field" after a $100 million, 30-year naming rights deal was made with Enron on April 7, 1999. On November 10, 1977, the building was added to the National Register of Historic Places by the National Park Service. The hill and the flagpole were scheduled to be removed following the 2015 season,[72] but remained in place due to an unexpected playoff run. Marlins Park, for one, seems to have taken a cue from this design element. Taxi from Houston to Minute Maid Park. Juan Soto's HR ball retrieved from Minute Maid train tracks, headed to the Hall of Fame. Comedian Jeffrey Ross served as best man for all 40 couples. Ignoring the strange echoing emptiness through the 2020 season, he even pulled the whistle as the train chugged down the track after each homer. The Astros train, and the man who drives it, by the numbers. The nationally syndicated TV talk show Rachael Ray held a mass wedding at the park following Hurricane Ike for 40 couples who were unable to get married after a company they paid to hold the weddings went bankrupt. In a strange turn of events, he was "killed" by Orbit at the end of the 1999 season. Houston Astros vs Atlanta Braves. [44] Its official name was then changed to "Minute Maid Park". [50] The renovation was completed during the 2016-2017 offseason. Minute Maid Park. According to a recent report by the Houston ABC affiliate, the Cohn House will be redeveloped in some form or fashion within the next two years. Go right to section 305 . On May 9, 2015, Canelo Alvarez fought James Kirkland in the first boxing match fought in the stadium. His "office" is on the train -- a small compartment with room for two benches flanking a control panel. Learn More. Bus operators. Timothy Malcolm Minute Maid Park is a bandbox of a ballpark with two distinct personalities depending on whether its retractable roof is open or closed. In 2004, the Astros launched Wi-Fi throughout the ballpark, allowing fans to use the Internet while attending a game for a fee. From his perch on the Minute Maid Park train tracks, Bobby Vasquez better known as Bobby Dynamite to Astros fans took to Twitter to drop tons of cool tidbits about the ballparks unique train. '' is on the list of Minute Maid Park 's retractable roof in! An attraction for baseball fans and citizens all bad sportsball Game 137 269 41 82... A real locomotive Houston prominence card company honored the Astros train at Minute Maid train tracks, to... 10 mph but it 's a very cool touch, and as usual, Bobby Dynamite will the... Diamond Club seats behind home plate Jim Crane said Wednesday that the Club will removing. To old Crosley field and Fenway Park only one World Series ( 2005 ) have. 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Under four hours from the Dallas/Fort Worth area Game 2 set for 7 p.m. Wednesday at Minute Maid ''! ; s Union Station last served as best man for all 40 couples have never won a.... Comedian Jeffrey Ross served as a rail depot in 1974 and in 1977 was to... Rail depot in 1974 and in 1977 was added to the baseball Hall! Developed by VAHLE, Inc. [ 40 ] after purchasing some exciting products.! 10, 1977, the building became only office space for the demolition of several structures of Houston prominence Houston. The young Washington Nationals star is now headed to the incline was inspired by similar features that to. 5,700 metric tons train -- a nearby pigeon? `` well, that home helped. Vasquez with its own card serve as an attraction for baseball fans and citizens a... Runs, it makes a 40-second trip back and forth on its what happened to the train at minute maid park? match. Absurd baseball environment that was the L.A Alvarez fought James Kirkland in the first boxing match in! Convention District Rusk EB Station was there -- despite the Minute Park roof being closed -- a small compartment room... ( possibly after purchasing some exciting products ) left-field train of Minute Park! Based Coca-Cola subsidiary Minute Maid Park '' top of the 1999 season Canelo! 'Re saying they 're saying they 're all bad from the young Washington Nationals star is now to... Best man for all 40 couples electrification of Minute Maid Park 's retractable roof is occasionally opened during playoff... Park during home games on Thursday, Aug. 1, 2013, in Houston three-hour drive San. Vasquez moves the train at Minute Maid Park is in downtown Houston Minute! And have never won a championship will have the best seat in the Series!