Texas likes to have everything be big, and Houston’s scoreboard claims to be the biggest in the majors.
It might be – although Cleveland also has a huge one.
Center field, at 436’, was the only one in the majors bigger than Fenway. The hill and flagpole were in play.
By 2018, when I returned for the ALCS, Houston had re-thought the hill in center. It was gone and dead center was down to 409′.
Houston’s attempt at a Fenway Park out-of-town style scoreboard.
The Citgo sign in the glass left-field wall was Houston’s attempt at a Kenmore Square ripoff. By 2018 Citgo was gone and Oxy replaced it.
Deuces are wild in Houston.
Minute Maid entry concourse. I was back in 2018 for ALCS Game 5.
First game: September 10, 2002. This was one of the many ballparks I went to on a trip that I didn’t have to pay for. I was in Dallas to shoot a spot with our Magic 106.7 TV spokesperson, Janine Turner, on the following day, which was the first anniversary of 9/11. No one wanted to fly on 9/11, so I had flown in to Dallas the afternoon before. I had nothing to do until the next morning, so I hopped a Southwest flight to Houston, grabbed a cab and asked to go to what had been known as Enron Field. I knew that after Enron went under they had to change the name, so I asked the cab driver what the new name is. English was not his first language and he didn’t seem to have any idea what I was talking about. But a woman passing by as I got in the cab told me it’s now Minute Maid Park. The cabbie then understood that I wanted to see the Astros and he knew how to get me to the field.
I saw the Rockies and Astros. The Astros won, 11-4. It was a very nice park with as many interesting touches as Pacific Bell Park in San Francisco. Real grass under the retractable roof. The scoreboard in right field is huge – biggest in the majors, so they claim. They have a train atop the wall in left field. When the roof opens the glass wall in left also retracts. The patio grill in right center has a bar in the stands. Originally there was a “Duffy’s Cliff” in center field with a flagpole in the middle. It was actually in play. Very nice place to see a game.
Second game: September 22, 2006. I was back in Dallas for the NAB Convention – another trip I didn’t have to pay for – and drove to Houston with Dave Dillon to see an Astros-Cardinals game. On the way we passed the Sam Houston statue on the edge of the highway. It’s incredibly huge (the statue, not the highway). By this time they had added a Fenway-style Citgo sign in the left field glass wall above the fence. It was another very good game. At the 7th inning stretch they played “Deep in the Heart of Texas” and everybody sang and clapped along. The Astros won the game, 6-5 in the bottom of the 9th, holding off the Cardinals who were on the way to a World Series win that year.
Third game: October 17, 2018. This one I did pay for. It was ALCS Game 4. The last Game 4 I had been to was the 2004 ALCS Red Sox-Yankees series when the incredible comeback happened in the 9th inning. That was the most memorable game I’ve ever seen. But this one was also for the ages.
As you’d expect, the joint was jumping. Sold out, tons of playoff t-shirts, banners, etc. The defending World Series Champion Houston Astros were facing the Boston Red Sox, a team they easily dispatched in the ALDS the year before. But the Red Sox blew through the Yankees in the 2018 ALDS and were up 2 games to one in this series.
Both teams used 6 pitchers. The starters were Rick Porcello and Charlie Morton. The Red Sox jumped to a 2-0 lead in the first on doubles by Xander Bogaerts and Christian Vazquez. Houston cut it to 2-1 in the second on a Jose Altuve double. Boston went up 3-1 in the top of the 3rd on an Andrew Benintendi double, then Charlie Morton got the hook. Houston tied it in the bottom on a George Springer home run, then went ahead in the 4th on a Tony Kemp homer. That was it for Porcello, as Joe Kelly relieved. Boston tied it in the top of the 5th, but Houston went ahead again in the bottom. Then excellent-fielding but iffy hitter Jackie Bradley Jr went deep to right with Vasquez aboard. This put Boston ahead 6-5 and put Kelly in line for the win, even though he had given up the lead in the 5th. Eduardo Rodriguez faced one batter in the 6th and walked him. On came Ryan Brasier. The Sox added solo runs in the 7th and 8th on Brock Holt and JD Martinez doubles.
Bottom 8, manager Alex Cora brings in Craig Kimbrel. What?? It’s 8-5, Boston, but Kimbrel is famous for being awful if he’s not in a save situation in the 9th. Preferably with no one on so he has breathing room. He gave up one run and I chatted with Red Sox fans who happened to be in adjacent and we all agreed that we had gotten away with the 8th inning mistake, but there was no way Kimbrel would be back out for the 9th. No way. Wrongo. He’s still on the bump with the spread eagle wings looking in for the sign. Tony Kemp leads off with a screeching liner to the right field corner, but Mookie Betts throws him out trying to reach second. Top of the Astros order is now up. Kimbrel hits leadoff hitter Alex Bregman. If it weren’t for Mookie’s great arm we’d be looking at 2 on, nobody out, and George Springer representing the winning run. A classic Kimbrel implosion in the works. But it’s one on, one out. Springer doubles, sending Bregman to third. Tying runs in scoring position. Next up, Jose Altuve. He hits a shot to left that would easily score the tying runs, but…(drum roll)…Benintendi makes a highlight-reel diving catch. Game over, Damage Done. Red Sox win, 8-6, and Kimbrel actually gets a save. Joe Kelly got the win.
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