The Houston Astros have been on the rise with three consecutive 100 win seasons and a second trip to the World Series in three years. As sportswriters and Astros fans keep an eye out for roster updates for the club, tickets are already getting snatched up by baseball lovers who want to see the incredible on-field action at Minute Maid Park. From the moment the Astros hit their home field, you know that magic is about to happen, with powerful batters, skilled pitchers, and an all-star team that’s ready to defend their home against all comers. You could be there to catch every play, every home run, and every exciting edge-of-your-seat moment, but only if you order your tickets. But why wait in line at your local ticket seller when you can have first dibs on the best seats in the house through this website.
If you love the Astros and want to cheer on your team as they race for a fourth winning season in a row, then make sure you pick up your tickets while supplies last. Because with the Astros strong seasons fresh in everyone’s mind you know that tickets will sell out fast. You don’t want to miss out on any of the fun, whether you join the Astros as they start their upcoming 2020 season or if you want to book a seat for later in the season when everything is on the line. So don’t delay and make sure that you’ll join Houston in celebrating their hometown heroes when they come back to Minute Maid Park.
Astros 2019 overview and 2020 Predictions
Last season, on September 18, the Astros secured a postseason berth after they defeated the Texas Rangers becoming the first team since the 2002-2004 New York Yankees to have three consecutive 100-win seasons. This feat is the latest achievement that keeps the Houston Astros with a rock-solid place on the ‘Great Baseball Teams’ map. But they weren’t done making headlines after matching the New York Yankees when they went on to win their third straight AL West title. This marks the first time in the franchise’s history that the Astros had the best record in baseball, which was only further solidified when they defeated the Tampa Bay Rays in the Division series three games to two. The team then became 2019’s American League Champions after they defeated the New York Yankees. It was clear to everyone that the Astros were rocketing further than anyone could predict and hopes were high that they would take the World Series, only to be defeated by the Nationals in 7 games.
But given how strong the Astros are and how reliably they perform, sportswriters suspect that this won’t stop the team from performing well in 2020. There is some debate on whether the team needs something special to improve their roster since the Astros didn’t choke against the Nationals, it was a series of well-played games that were just lost. But no one can deny that the Nationals were not expected to be able to beat the Astros given how the Nats were 19-31 early in the season. But fans are wondering what could have changed since the Nats were trailing by two runs in several of their games. Some writers believe that Gerrit Cole is not going to be rehired, which leaves the teams starting the rotation with players like Justin Verlander, Jose Urquidy, and Zack Greinke to name a few. What the team likely needs are players who can keep up the strong regular season performance of the past three years without disappointing themselves and fans in the postseason.
But who will the Astros pick up if they drop Cole? That’s the question.
Minute Maid Park’s Most Contested Feature
Minute Maid Park, originally known as The Ballpark at Union Station, Enron Field, and Astros Field, was opened in 2000 as a home for the Houston Astros. The ballpark features may amazing features including Houston’s first retractable-roof (A first for Houston stadiums) and natural grass playing field. The ballpark was designed as a replacement for the Astrodome and had a record attendance of over 44,000 on September 26, 2001. The field features all the things that fans love about baseball stadiums, including great seating, a variety of refreshment vendors, and friendly event staff. But there’s one feature that has been argued and that is Tal’s Hill.
Known as The Grassy Knoll, Tal’s Hill is a 90-foot incline in the outfield with a pole in the middle. It was named after former Astros President Tal Smith who proposed the inclusion. Now, Tal’s Hill was intended to give the ballpark ‘something special’ that would make it stands out, While the feature does give the stadium a look and feel that’s quite different from other ballparks in the league, what made it controversial was the park ground rules that declared that Tal’s Hill and the flagpole were considered in play. Any ball that hit the flagpole on the hill and stayed in the field of play, was still in play. Any ball that went out of the field was a home run. There was concern about Tal’s Hill suggesting that it could cause injury for fielders who were unused to the incline, but there has not yet been an injury related to Tal’s Hill. Lance Berkman once said that the hill isn’t steep enough to roll balls back, so players have to get it which could lead to players running into the flagpole and getting hurt. After the first catch on the hill was made by Atlanta Braves’ Andruw Jones in 2000 after falling on the hill during a previous play, it was declared that it was one of the hardest catches in the league, which could give skilled batters an advantage.
Tal’s Hill was finally removed in 2016 in pursuit of uniformity in MLB ballpark designs and playing fields.