The Great Ballpark Chase: Houston, We Have Baseball!

timothynrussell
Daikin Park Homeplate View
The view from behind homeplate at Houston’s Daikin Park. (Photo by Tim Russell)

When you take these baseball bus tours, you meet lots of different people who root for many different teams.

On Coast 2 Coast Sports Tours‘ Southern Slam tour this past summer, we had 15 people, rooting for eight or nine different teams. But with so many different rooting interests, it’s quite easy to get along with everyone on the tour.

Apparently, baseball brings people together:-)

So after a quick trip to New Orleans, we moved down the road toward Houston for the penultimate game of the trip.

Daikin Park was first called Enron Field from 2000-2002 and then Astros Field for a few months during the Enron scandal. It became known as Minute Maid Park from 2002 to January 1 of this year.

It replaced the Astros’ former home, The Astrodome, which was the world’s first enclosed stadium and still stands today, but is not used for anything. It cannot be destroyed due to its designation on the National Register of Historic Places.

Daikin Park park features a retractable roof, which is a welcome relief to the Texas heat. Typically, the roof is only open during games in April and May.

There are unique features both in and outside the ballpark, which has a capacity of 41,168.

The first one is the Houston Together Commemorative Baseball Wall, which may be the first thing you see if you enter at the home plate gate. It features customized baseballs from fans all over Houston.

Houston Together is a community-based, non-profit organization that focuses on creating a healthier social environment and improving balance to the community’s livelihood.

You’ll also see a large astronaut sculpture at that entrance, signifying Houston’s Space City nickname.

Clockwise from upper left, fans are greeted by this spaceman statue as they enter Houston’s Daikin Park, an ode to Houston’s Space City monicker; the Houston Together Commemorative Baseball Wall; the Astros celebrated Christmas in July during my visit to Daikin; a look at the Crawford Boxes and Home Run Locomotive above; and a close up of the Locomotive. (Photos by Tim Russell)

Once inside, you’ll likely notice the locomotive high above left field. It is a replica of a 19th century train and coal tender, which weighs close to 50,000 pounds. It runs on an 800 foot track in left-center field.

The train keeps connection to Union Station, which stands next to Daikin Park with a nod to Houston’s railroad history.

In the early 20th century, the railroad helped create Houston with a base of wealth and culture. Union Station was built at the corner of Texas Avenue and Crawford Street and dedicated on March 2, 1911. By the mid-1940s, Union Station was handling 5,000 travelers daily.

Back to baseball, down the left field line, you can see the Crawford Boxes, which run parrallel to Crawford Street. It is only 315 feet down the left field line, one of the shortest in Major League Baseball. But there is also a 19-foot high wall in front of the boxes. The wall contains the hand-operated out-of-town scoreboard.

Here are the other outfield measurements: left-center, 366-399 feet; 409 feet to center; 370 feet to right-center and 326 to right field.

From left to right, a long view of the Astros Hall of Fame; a pair of HoF members’ plaques, Craig Biggio and Jeff Bagwell; the Phillips 66 Home Run Pump; and a view of left and center field. (Photos by Tim Russell)

The Astros also have a pretty extensive Hall of Fame behind the Crawford Boxes in left field. There are statues of Jeff Bagwell and Craig Biggio outside the stadium as well.

In the same area, you’ll see the Phillips 66 Home Run Porch. It features a classic gasoline pump that counts the total number of Astros home runs since the park opened.

When Daikin Park first opened, it had some unique features that are no longer there, namely Tal’s Hill. It was a 90-foot wide incline in center field. It was in the field of play along with the flag pole until 2016, when it was eliminated due to injuries.

  • Game Result: The Athletics pounded out 12 hits while Luis Severino held Houston to just two runs on four hits with no walks and eight strikeouts en route to a 5-2 A’s victory. Houston’s Taylor Trammell had three of the Astros’ six hits.

A few sights from our visit to New Orleans, from left, a building in the French Quarter; the inside of famed St. Louis Cathedral; and the exterior of the cathedral. (Photos by Tim Russell)

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