Minute Maid Park

The Juice Box

Would you say that someone who has had three different names in a four-year period is suffering from an identity crisis?  Well, the Astros' downtown stadium, which opened in 2000, was originally called Enron Field.  You know what happened to the corporate sponsor of that name, so the park became Astros Field ... until the team could find another company to pay to put its name of the front door.  That's when the place became Minute Maid Park.  If you sit in the right place in "the Juice Box" (as the locals have dubbed it), you have a nice view of the downtown skyline.  Of course, a few minutes before the shot above was taken, the setting sun was blinding everyone on the first-base side of the park.

The place has a different feel when the roof is closed, as the 2009 shot above can attest. I can tell you from experience that where you sit in this stadium (and not whether the roof is opened) makes the biggest difference in your enjoyment of the game. Therefore, for the best seats at Minute Maid Park, click here.

You'll also want to check out our photo essays on the 2004 All Star Game that was played here, as well as one on the final game of the 2005 World Series.

BASEBALLPARKS.COM'S RANK AMONG ALL 30 MLB PARKS: 25th
RANK IN ITS DIVISION:  5th out of 6
RANK AMONG PARKS BUILT SINCE 1990:  19th out of 22

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