It looks like Tal’s Hill isn’t going anywhere after all.
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If you were hoping to celebrate the planned demolition of Minute Maid Park’s center field oddity known as “Tal’s Hill”, you’ll have to wait a bit. However, the team chose to suspend the plans for at least another year as the offseason renovation would have run the risk of not being completed by Opening Day 2016, Astros President of Business Operations Reid Ryan said in a press release Thursday. Or 2018. Regardless, next season will still have Tal’s Hill in Houston, much to the chagrin of many visiting teams’ center fielders.
That means Tal’s Hill will stay through the 2016 season.
The renovation is expected to cost around $15 million.
[Astros owner] Jim Crane said the center field fence, which now sits 436 feet from home plate, would be brought in to about 409 or 410 feet.
The renovation attempts would have been impacted by both the Major League Baseball playoffs – the Astros were just eliminated on Wednesday – and by a scheduled global cricket match in November.
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The seating capacity of Minute Maid Park would remain essentially the same, with improved visibility for fans to enjoy the game from center field.
