The train that Astros fans know and love is just a quarter bigger than a real locomotive. 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. The "Phillips 66 Home Run Porch" is located in left-center field over the field of play. It was built as a replacement for the Astrodome, the first domed sports stadium ever built, which opened in 1965. The train moves whenever an Astros player hits a homerun or after an Astros win. 2,000 . His uniform: overalls and an orange Houston Astros T-shirt. Total train trips ever, including playoffs (as of the end of the 2020 season) 1,594 . Bus : 11 137 20 247 269 30 41 48 6. In reference to Pittsburgh's Three Rivers Stadium and Cincinnati's Riverfront Stadium, McLane noted, "[] I remember when those were built in the 1970s and those were as good a stadiums as there were. April 24: Brewers 9, Astros 6 Brewers' Travis Ishikawa, right, is congratulated by Alex Gonzalez after hitting a two-run home run. Houston pitmaster goes viral after hilarious TV interview, Houston is in for dust and gray skies as Texas haboob arrives, 'Call me a Nazi': Former Houston pastor calls for state book ban, Former KHOU anchor turns layoff into lucrative real estate career, The only Houston rodeo food guide you'll need, KPRC 2 anchor Brandon Walker announces he is leaving network, Houston leaders delay vote on Hobby Airport concesssions contract, UH favored by wide margin to win NCAA tournament, per ESPN's BPI, Report: Houston ranked No. To avoid damaging the field while the Astros were in season, the competition fields were built on a stage over the infield dirt between first and third base. The train moves at a speed of 2.5 mph, although it used to go much faster. The home-plate-to-fence measurement there is only 315 feet (96 meters), one of the shortest in Major League Baseball. Catch up on Texas sports, sign up for the Launch Pad newsletter here. 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. April 1, 2021 All Rights Reserved. The METRORail light rail system has a station located one block south of Minute Maid Park, Convention District Station, served by the Green and Purple lines. Because the west side of Minute Maid Park used to be Union Station. There are also several plaques to commemorate notable Astros and their achievements. 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 design of the new park integrated the former Union Station building's main concourse, reutilizing the space for a clubhouse, cafe, team store, and office space. It is driven by Bobby Vsquez, who goes by the name Bobby Dynamite. The ring of advertisement screens around the park were replaced in favor of HD ribbon boards.[7]. "I've seen a lot of triumphs, a lot of heartbreak, a lot of great games, a lot of not-so-great games," he said. If it went out of the field of play (over the fence), it was a home run. 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. Charles Curtis. Yes, is the answer. In June 2015 the Astros announced Tal's Hill would be removed in a major renovation project during the 2015-2016 offseason, to be replaced with additional seating, concessions, and escalators for fans. Viva such a thing, we say. Every time the Astros . Downtown Houston to Minute Maid Park train services, operated by Metropolitan Transit Harris County, arrive at Convention District Rusk EB station. The old screen was taken out and replaced by billboards. Bus operators. What whistle is actually playing during Astros games? At this point there's only one final question pertaining to Minute Maid Park: Is there a team photo of the 1962 Houston Colt .45's outside the main press box? Horace Baldwin Rice's residence and Adath Yeshurun Congregation's synagogue among other structures were removed. The center field fence was to be moved in from 436 feet (133m) (which from 2000 to 2016 was the longest in baseball) to 409 feet (125m) from home plate, but the center field renovations were delayed until after the 2016 season, due at least in part to the 2015 playoffs cutting into planned construction time.[74]. Please check your email for a confirmation. Bobby Vasquez, aka Bobby Dynamite, has the enviable job of conducting the train at Minute Maid Park. 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. In case you live under a rock, Houston has some of the best sports teams in Texas and the experience to see them play live is like no otherespecially when you're talking about the 2017 World Series . The Harris County referendum that took place on November 5, 1996, to help fund the ballpark passed by a narrow margin of 51% to 49%. If a ball hit the flagpole on the hill and stayed in the field of play, it was in play. That means Games 1 and 2 and -- if the fates bless us with maximum baseball -- Games 6 and 7 will go down at Minute Maid Park in downtown Houston. June 6, 2002: The Astros' home run train, emblazoned with the new name, carries Texas-size "oranges" in its coal tender. Bobby Vasquez, aka Bobby Dynamite, has the enviable job of conducting the train at Minute Maid Park. Four year old Hayden Schaefer looks at the train at Enron Field in Houston Friday April 7, 2000 at the Houston Astros' home season opener against the Philadelphia Phillies. His job: Whenever the Astros take the field for the first inning or hit a home run or score a run, Bobby Dynamite conducts the train along 800 feet of track, rings the bell, and toots the whistle. Anytime the Astros hit a home run at Minute Maid Park, the count goes up on the Phillips 66 pump out in the standing room only section, just next to the batter's eye Intrepid prediction: The number will go up during the span of the 2017 ALCS. Before it was a ballpark, the west end of Minute Maid Park was Union Station, making a train a very apt addition. Workers at Enron Field lift a replica of a 19th-century locomotive onto a roof track on the west side of the ballpark Saturday, March 18, 2000. The ballpark is located right off Interstate 69 . 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. The train carries oranges as cargo, of course. Record . The 15-foot-high and 56-foot-long replica of an 1862 steam locomotive was manufactured in Porter . Location. Houstonia Magazine The tournament features local schools the University of Houston and Rice University every year, a pair of major conference schools, alternating between Big 12 members University of Texas at Austin, Texas Tech University, Baylor University and SEC member Texas A&M University, as well as two other teams from around the country. Jeff Bagwell and Moises Alou homered off the train. 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. The iconic Train at Minute Maid Park is a staple among Houston Astros games as it runs each time a home run is hit. "[22] According to the organization, the team was in danger of being sold to a Virginia businessman who was expected to move the Astros to the Washington D.C. area because of poor revenue. No matter what Minute Maid Park looks like during baseball season, we know Bobby Dynamite will be there cheering on the Astros and conducting the old train perched atop the faade of archways 90 feet above left field. Every time the Astros get a home run, Vasquez moves the train down the track to the roar of the crowd. Minute Maid Park is located at 501 Crawford Street on the northeast end of downtown Houston. Learn More. Speaking of which, the Minute Maid Park left field dimensions are technically in violation of MLB guidelines. [27] Plans for the new ballpark's location drastically changed by September mostly in response to Enron Chairman Kenneth Lay's input and pledge to substantially contribute to funding if placed downtown. ", "I'm deathly afraid of heights," he said. In a strange turn of events, he was "killed" by Orbit at the end of the 1999 season. Minute Maid Park was built on the site of Houston's Union Station. The train moves along an 800-foot (240m) length of track on top of the length of the exterior wall beyond left field when the Astros take the field during the first inning, when an Astros player hits a home run, and when the Astros win a game. This is a view of Minute Maid Park in Houston not many people get to see from atop the left-field train! LUCKY COFFEE: Astros' Cristian Javier says spilled coffee's temperature was just a '3 out of 10'. It's a very cool touch, and fans can enter the ballpark through Union Station (possibly after purchasing some exciting products). [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. Section The Train is tagged with: outfield. Go left to section Torchy's Party Deck. [67] Shane Warne's Warne's Warriors clinched the series 20. HOUSTON - A fight between fans broke out Wednesday during an Astros game at Minute Maid Park, according to videos posted on social media.. We're waiting on the team store to start selling his replica overalls and orange Astros T-shirts. We do know that, per Axios, The Astros typically close the roof for night games below 65 degrees,according toMLB.com.. But we also know that it could get louder in there for the Yankees when they hear it from Astros fans. CBS Sports is a registered trademark of CBS Broadcasting Inc. Commissioner.com is a registered trademark of CBS Interactive Inc. site: media | arena: mlb | pageType: stories | Marlins Park, for one, seems to have taken a cue from this design element. When Minute Maid Park was built in 2000, planners chose to include a replica of . The ballpark features 19,201 seats on the lower level,[79] 7,132 seats on the second level,[79] 880 seats on the suite level,[79] and 13,750 seats on the upper level.[79]. Fans can . Passenger rail declined greatly after World War II, and the last regularly-scheduled train, the Lone Star, moved its service to Houston's current Amtrak station on July 31, 1974. 10 Things You Can't Miss at an Astros Game at Minute Maid Park. The plaza also displays pennants for all Astros division and league championships, as well as two World Series titles. 29: Brewers 9, Astros 5 Aug. Aug. Every time the Astros score a run, Bobby "Dynamite" Vasquez, the force behind Minute Maid Park's home-run train, sound its bells and whistles. 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