When the Astrodome opened in 1965, it was dubbed with Texan modesty as "The Eighth Wonder of the World," yet by 2000 it had lost its prime baseball and football tenants. While no such grandiose claims were made for Enron Field, it is something of a technological marvel itself.
Some of the hardware is hokey -- a 57-foot, 24-ton full-size replica of a 19th-century Wild West steam locomotive runs on an 800-foot track above left field. But the major mechanical installation is a genuine innovation: a $65-million three-panel retractable roof and wall system that allows openness in temperate weather, while creating a transparent roof overhead and a window-wall in left field that enables the park to be air-conditioned on the more frequent occasions of high temperature and humidity. Travel time for the roof to open or close is a bit less than 20 minutes.
Enron Field's cost came in a bit under its $250 million budget. This is quite inexpensive for a retractable-roof stadium of its era -- in this respect, Enron Field could indeed be another eighth wonder of the world.
Enron's 25-acre site is on the fringes of downtown, and the 1911-vintage Union Station forms the ballpark's main entrance. The exterior architecture of this 42,000-seat facility is postmodern, and the field configuration is quirky, with eight bends and angles in the outfield wall and an in-play flagpole on the field in center. Left to right, the dimensions are 315-433-325, with a 21-foot wall in left and seven- to nine-foot fences elsewhere. There is a grassy incline in center field, and a 131-foot wide scoreboard is located behind the right-field seats.
Before Enron opened, sportswriters were of differing opinions whether Enron would be a hitter's park (after the Astrodome, almost anything would feel like a hitter's park), or whether it would favor pitchers. The first sentiment was proven correct in the park's first two years.
After the stadium's corporate namesake imploded in a high-profile bankruptcy case in 2001, the park was renamed Astros Field until a more suitable sponsor could be found. (JP)
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FROM THE BASEBALL CHRONOLOGY
»April 7, 2000: 41,583 fans, including George W. Bush, are on hand for the opener at brand-new Enron Field. Enron president Kenneth Lay throws out the first ball. Led by Randy Wolf's seven strong innings, the Phillies top the Astros, 4–1. Octavio Dotel gives up two runs before leaving in the 7th with the loss. Scott Rolen and Ron Gant homer for the Phillies, while Richard Hidalgo goes deep for the Astors.
»April 27, 2000: The Cubs defeat the Astros, 12-3, as they hit four home runs in the 1st inning of their game at Houston's Enron Field. Jose Lima serves up all four dingers to tie the major-league record for an inning.
»July 5, 2000: The Diamondbacks trip the Astros, 12-9. Arizona OF Luis Gonzalez becomes the 1st Diamondback to hit for the cycle, hitting a double in the 1st inning, a single in the 3rd, a triple in the 8th, and a home run in the 9th. It is the 1st time the feat is accomplished in new Enron Field. Gonzalez is just the 9th player to both hit for the cycle and have a 30+ game hitting streak.
»July 19, 2000: The Reds defeat the Astros, 4-0, as Pete Harnisch hurls the first complete-game shutout ever at Enron Field.
»July 14, 2001:
At Enron Field, Padres SS Damian Jackson shatters a bat on a Wade Miller pitch, but still reaches the LF seats for a grand slam. The Pads win, 8–6.
»July 22, 2001:
Shane Reynolds, Octavio Dotel, and Billy Wagner become the first Astros pitchers to throw a shutout at Enron Field as they combined to blank the Cubs, 3-0. It took 132 games before the home team calcimined an opponent at Enron, which opened on April 7, 2000. That shutout drought at a new facility tops the old record of 103 games set by the Colorado Rockies after moving into Coors Field in 1995. Last season, Astros hurlers threw only two shutouts, both on the road.
»February 27, 2002:
The Astros buy back the stadium naming rights to Enron Field from bankrupt Enron for $2.1 million. The stadium will be known as Astros Field, until the rights are resold.
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