Houston, TX

Park # 33

What I Remember

May 12 was a Sunday in 1991 and I remember that it was Mother’s Day. We were camped about 45 minutes west of Houston so I think we both called our moms before heading into Houston for a Sunday evening game.

The Astrodome had already begun to be dated by the time we saw it on this May Sunday but it was still a fascinating place to visit. I suspect that most people of my generation viewed the Astrodome as a miracle that went beyond baseball. The “8th Wonder of the World” was the first domed stadium used in a major sport and to be able to see a baseball (or football) game indoors still seemed remarkable in 1991. My son, who is 13, is still captivated by the idea of dome stadiums more than a half century after this park opened.

The Game(s)

St. Louis Cardinals 7 Houston Astros 3

The Box (Click on the arrows to see more images)

The Astros were in a rebuilding season, five years removed from the NLCS. However, future Hall of Famer Jeff Bagwell was a rookie on this team and Ken Caminiti was establishing himself as an All Star at third base.

The Trip

Since it was a night game we had a chance for a long nap after a nearly sleepless night and even though Stephen F Austin State Park is 50 miles west of Houston and we would have to drive back after the game we were very happy to find it when we did early that Sunday morning.