"The wheels are as tall as I am" says Bobby Dynamite, conductor of the Houston Astros Train at Minute Maid Park, as he climbs down from the electronic train on Thursday, Aug. 1, 2013, in Houston. 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 train station served as the main terminal for Houston passengers . The Nationals went on to win Game 1, 5-4, with Game 2 set for 7 p.m. Wednesday at Minute Maid Park. Photos Baseball Seating Chart NEW Sections Comments Tags. The stadium has a natural grass playing field. Washington Nationals vs. New York Yankees. If youre watching Wednesdays Game 1 of the ALCS at Minute Maid Park between the New York Yankees and Houston Astros, you may notice something quirky. The exact address of the park is 501 Crawford Street. 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. Central location is convenient to transit and area hotels. April 24: Brewers 9, Astros 6 Brewers' Travis Ishikawa, right, is congratulated by Alex Gonzalez after hitting a two-run home run. [75] The engine's tender is filled with giant oranges in reference to Minute Maid's most famous product, orange juice. Houses For Rent Statham, Ga, Statues of longtime Astros players Jeff Bagwell and Craig Biggio are located in the exterior of the ballpark in a space known as The Plaza at Minute Maid Park. 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. Of the current crop of Astros, Evan Gattis, Jose Altuve and George Springer have launched moonshots in Vasquez's direction. [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. The ballpark was named "Enron Field" after a $100 million, 30-year naming rights deal was made with Enron on April 7, 1999. Even in light of Houston's "let the good times roll" zoning laws, it's a curiosity to see a single-family home that's, by . Choo-choo! Time: 1:05 p.m. 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. [23] Meanwhile, Harris County Judge Robert Eckels pieced together a plan to build a new ballpark next to the Astrodome in the Astrodomain. Houston Astros vs Atlanta Braves. At 54 feet (16m) high and 124 feet (38m) wide, it is the fourth largest scoreboard in Major League Baseball, behind T-Mobile Park (home of the Seattle Mariners), Progressive Field (home of the Cleveland Guardians), and Kaufmann Stadium (home of the Kansas City Royals). It's a very cool touch, and fans can enter the ballpark through Union Station (possibly after purchasing some exciting products). Under the Minute Maid Park ground rules, both Tal's Hill and the flagpole were considered in play. 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. When building the park, the team decided to pay homage to this history of the . However, Astros management faced a public relations problem when the energy corporation went bankrupt in 2001 due to a financial scandal. Go left to section Torchy's Party Deck. The two former teammates are depicted playing baseball with each other. 2,000 . He has a forward and reverse button inside the train and joystick with a deadmans switch. Ok as we're talking about the oranges, here's juicy tidbitThe oranges landed on the train when the park was renamed Minute Maid Park in 2002. 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. "Here we are, just a few steps from the top of the world. [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. Will Dusty Baker Stay With the Astros? "[25] This plan was considered to be nearly finalized when the Astros and Harris County agreed to a US$250 million county-funded stadium whose overrun costs would be funded by the Astros.[26]. 5-4, with Game 2 set for 7 p.m. Wednesday at Minute Maid Park. And considering the Astros scored more runs (896) this season than any team since the 2009 New York Yankees, Bobby Dynamite has logged a lot of miles in the choo-choo. Minute Maid Park roof rules, "Astros removing Tal's Hill at Minute Maid Park", "The hill in the Astros' ballpark was awful, and I'll miss it", "Astros' Reid Ryan: Minute Maid Park in good condition", Ballpark Digest Visit to Minute Maid Park, "Dangers of the diamond: TSN picks the nine biggest ballpark obstaclesfrom the brightest lights to the most unusual landscapingin the majors - Baseball", Astros Daily - Your best source for news and information on the Houston Astros, Main Street/Market Square Historic District, Sam Houston Math, Science, and Technology Center, Current ballparks in Major League Baseball, https://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=Minute_Maid_Park&oldid=1142133219, College baseball venues in the United States, Retractable-roof stadiums in the United States, Short description is different from Wikidata, All Wikipedia articles written in American English, Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike License 3.0, Estimated 25,000 total spots within walking distance, 54 feet (16.5m) high by 124 feet (37.8m) wide, Originally planned to take place on October 13, but was moved backwards to avoid any potential scheduling conflict with the, On October 9, 2005, Minute Maid Park hosted the then-longest postseason game in, On October 25, 2005, Minute Maid Park hosted the first. 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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. He isn't the first to man one of Houston's most beloved locomotives, though. THE BASICS: A brief history of the train at Minute Maid Park. However, the project had to be postponed due to the Astros' unexpected American League Wild Card championship and subsequent postseason appearance, along with the stadium's offseason event schedule. In late 1997, it was announced that local Brown & Root would manage construction of the stadium, while Populous with Walter P. Moore would design it. Jon Shestakofsky, the vice-president of Communications & Education with the Hall of Fame in Cooperstown, says the ball was retrieved Tuesday night from the train tracks after the game. The location of Minute Maid Park is in downtown Houston, Texas in the United States. minute maid park section The Train. 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? 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. On this Wikipedia the language links are at the top of the page across from the article title. Paul McCartney, Jay-Z, Beyonc, Taylor Swift, Nelly, Tim McGraw, Staind, Madonna, Bad Bunny and Lady Gaga have all performed at Minute Maid Park. Here's what you need to know before you head to RodeoHouston, Houston Forecast: Warm and muggy today, severe storm threat looms for Thursday night, Hazy Houston skies: West Texas dust filling the air today | Here's how long it'll last. He spent eight hours in the train during Game 5 of the World Series last year. Is it because itll be cold? retrieved Tuesday night from the train tracks after the game. Later that year, Houston's NFL franchise and joint-tenant of the Astrodome, the Houston Oilers, announced they were leaving to Nashville, Tennessee in order to have a new stadium built for the team there. The stadium also is the host of the Houston College Classic college baseball tournament, part of the winter fan festival held in February. Christopher Yancy, Cason Paul, Claire Paul run the bases at Minute Maid Park during the Texas Children's Hospital Family Fun Day. It still modestly inflates home run rates, so the people might just get what they want. Love it! You should probably follow Vasquez on Twitter, because he teased that there may be more fun train facts coming throughout the season. The process of incorporating an old building into the design is certainly the most explicit manner to integrate the area's context into the ballpark, but it has to be well done . The Astros set a franchise record with their 12th . The Washington Nationals star joined Miguel Cabrera, Andruw Jones and Mickey Mantle as the only players to homer in the World Series before turning 21. Michael Kenny piloted it during the team's inaugural season at its new ballpark. Astros |Exploring a different role for Michael Brantley in 2023Rockets | Team faces key questions as season hits home stretchTexans | Houston trades up, drafts different QBs in recent projectionsCollege | The UH Cougars are the top team in the country once again. WHEN THEY WERE YOUNG: What Houston Astros players looked like as kids. 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. In honor of longtime Astros broadcaster Milo Hamilton, the City of Houston officially renamed a portion of the Ballpark District to the "Hall of Fame District", and the portion of Hamilton Avenue that runs within that district to "Milo Hamilton Way" on April 8, 2009. . Also, here's what it looks like when, at great professional hazard and possible in violation of local ordinances, you stick your smartphone through the railing and take a photo of the cavernous depths below Section 405, Row 22, Seat 1 Not even Lassie's rescuing you from that well. [47], For the 2011 season, the park added a large Daktronics HD screen nicknamed "El Grande" replacing the original one in right 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. With this move, the building became only office space for the HB&T as well as the Missouri Pacific Railroad. Vasquezs superpower though must be his bladder. Sotos solo home run helped the Nationals tie the Astros 2-2 in the top of the fourth inning in Game 1. In addition, seating sections 256, 257, and 258 in the outfield mezzanine would be removed. If I'm busy, that means hopefully good things are happening for us on the field.". Example video title will go here for this video. It opened in 2000 as the home ballpark of Major League Baseball's Houston Astros. Presented without judgment or commentary, the price of wholesome, nutritious beer prior the ALCS Should you get yourself upsold to the souvenir beer? In this case, 325 is the minimum distance down the left field line. 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. . A train chugs along the outfield every time the Astros hit a home run. [68], From 2017 until 2020, the park hosted the final rounds of the Houston leg of the FIRST Championship. So as you make your way down Avenida de las Americas to Minute Maid Park, you'll run into this Why is the author showing you a photo of a charming-but-dilapidated Victorian? Milwaukee Brewers player Richie Sexson once hit a ball off the flagpole. Minute Maid Park has many attractions including the Phillips 66 Homerun Alley, located behind the left field seats that features images of memorable moments in Astros history, allows fans the chance to catch a homerun ball or to take a picture with an old fashioned gas pump that counts the number of homeruns hit at the ballpark. Well, that home run shot from the young Washington Nationals star is now headed to the Baseball of Hall of Fame. The largest entrance to the park is inside what was once Houston's Union Station, and the left-field side of the stadium features a railway as homage to the site's history. Catch up on Texas sports, sign up for the Launch Pad newsletter here. Growell Organo Patio Mix, Another look at the train at Minute Maid Park and its conductor "Bobby Dynamite" Vasquez. HOUSTON -- The Yankees and Astros will cross swords in the 2017 ALCS, and since the Astros are the higher seed they'll enjoy home-field advantage for this series. Directions to Minute Maid Park (Houston) with public transportation. You can honestly get anything you want here from nachos, hotdogs, chick fil a, papa johns pizza, flavored popcorn, margaritas, etc. Vasquez also really does drive the train. Two days later, Jeff Keppinger hit the left field pole to help the Astros win, 50, against the Brewers. Even in light of Houston's "let the good times roll" zoning laws, it's a curiosity to see a single-family home that's, by my count, 78 steps from the exterior of a big-league ballpark. Train during Game 5 of the current crop of Astros, Evan Gattis, Jose Altuve George., 257, and fans can enter the ballpark through Union station possibly. 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