Astros historian Mike Acosta snapped some shots today and yesterday of the newly flattened corner of Minute Maid Park’s center field, where Tal’s Hill once sloped gently upward (as showcased in the legendary fan-on-the-field chase in the video above, from a game in 2011). The field’s lumpectomy was part of the plan that involved paring down the distance from home plate to the edge of center field from 436 feet to a still-over-minimum-requirements 409 feet, and adding more seating and concessions as per the earlier renderings from 2015:
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With the hill out of the way, the last touches and branding can now be applied to the corner; earlier this month Forbes’ Jim Pagels lamented the removal of Tal’s Hill as part of the broader disappearance of local field quirks, which he implies are one of the only elements of creativity allowed in baseball.
- Minute Maid Park’s New Centerfield Wall Is Now In Place [Crawfish Boxes on SBNation]
- Previously on Swamplot:Â Astros Ready To Flatten Houston’s Only Air-Conditioned Hill, Fill Space with Bars, Food, Behind-the-Fence Seating
Images: Mike Acosta (photos), Houston Astros (renderings), VideoFanPages (video)
Could they please remove some of the advertisements? Looks so tacky.
Jackson,
Going to an Astros game is like being in an advertisement pinball machine. I think last time I attended a game I counted more than 100 individual fixed ads not counting jumbotron/electronic or speaker ads.
By saying “tacky” you are way too generous.
The nanny staters in management have decided to install new netting. There is going to be a 12 foot net from the end of each dugout to the net behind home plate. -rolling eyes-
Good riddance!