Minute Maid Park celebrates its 10th anniversary this season as home to the Houston Astros. When the ballpark officially opened for the 2000 season, the initial name was The Ballpark at Union Station.
For a three-year period, the name of the park frequently changed. Enron bought the naming rights to the stadium in April, 1999, for a 30-year, $100-million deal.
Unfortunately, the Astros organization experienced a shocking situation when Enron declared bankruptcy in conjunction to one of the most greatest corporate scandals in U.S. history.
Astros' management repurchased the remainder of Enron's 30-year naming rights and called the ballpark "Astros Field." In June 2002, Minute Maid, the fruit-juice subsidiary of Coca-Cola, acquired the naming rights for 28 years at over $100 million.
Since the acquisition, "The Juice Box" has been a mainstay in downtown Houston. In addition to hosting the Astros, Minute Maid Park features special events such as concerts and international soccer matches.
During the 10-year period, several memorable moments have occurred at Minute Maid Park. The following rank as the stadium's 10 greatest moments:
10) July 12, 2004 - The American League wins the 2004 Major League All-Star Game 9-4 . Baltimore's Miguel Tejada secures the Century 21 Home Run Derby title after hitting a total of 27 home runs, including 15 in the second round.
Tejada beat future Astros teammate Lance Berkman in the final round 5-4.
9) Apr. 7, 2000 - The Houston Astros lose to the Philadelphia Phillies in the first ever regular season in stadium history.
Former Enron CEO Kenneth Lay, who was later indicted on 11 counts of securities fraud, wire fraud and making false and misleading statements, throws the ceremonial first pitch and Phillies’ third baseman Scott Rolen hits the ballpark’s first home run. (Apr. 7, 2000)
8) May 7, 2004 - Seven-time Cy Young Award winner Roger Clemens records his 4,137 career strikeout to pass Steve Carlton for second on the all-time list behind baseball icon Nolan Ryan.
7) June 22, 2002 - Jeff Bagwell honors the memory of friend and former teammate Darryl Kile with the game-winning pinch-hit single in the bottom of the 12th to give the Houston Astros a 3-2 victory over the Seattle Mariners.
Kile passed away earlier in the day of coronary disease in a Chicago hotel while participating in a three-game weekend series at Wrigley Field with the St. Louis Cardinals.
6) Apr. 3, 2006- Houston opens the 2006 regular season by raising their first ever National League pennant and injured franchise star Jeff Bagwell, who missed the entire season and ultimately retired, receives a two-minute standing ovation from the fans for his 15 memorable seasons in an Astros uniform.
5) Sept. 30, 2007- Record stadium crowd of 43,823 watches as Biggio plays the final game of his 20-year Hall-of-Fame career, officially ending the Biggio/Bagwell era. Biggio played his entire career in an Astros uniform, having turned down mulitple opportunities during his career to play elsewhere for more money.
4) Oct. 9, 2005 - Chris Burke hits the series-winning walk-off homer off Atlanta Braves’ Joey Devine in the 18th inning of Game 4 of the 2004 NLDS. It stands as the longest postseason game in Major League Baseball history.
3) Oct. 17, 2005- The Astros are one strike away from advancing to the World Series when St. Louis Cardinals All-Star first baseman Albert Pujols silences the entire city of Houston with a massive game-winning three-run homer off Astros’ closer Brad Lidge in Game Five of the 2005 NLCS, which landed on the train tracks in the back of Minute Maid Park.
2) Oct. 25, 2005 - First ever World Series game (Game Three) played in the state of Texas with the Astros losing to the Chicago White Sox 7-5 in 14 innings. It remains the longest World Series game ever played, lasting five hours and 41 minutes.
1) June 28, 2007 - Legendary Houston Astros Craig Biggio singles in the seventh, but gets thrown out at second to record his 3,000th career hit. Biggio had five hits, including an infield single which led to Carlos Lee's walk-off grand slam in the 11th to secure an 8-5 win.
For additional information on the Houston Astros, visit www.examiner.com/x-2910-Houston-Astros-Examiner
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