Game #3-Family and Friends in "The Juice Box!"

Boy oh boy, someone was unhappy the Astros lost last night! We were awoken at 3am by electrifying lightning zipping across the sky and thunder roaring furiously! Last night on Friday, April 14 we attended the Texas Rangers vs. Houston Astros at Minute Maid Park and unfortunately for the home team it was not their night. We arrived early to the ballpark to explore the stadium and take in the spectacular views of the downtown Houston skyline. Sadly the roof was closed but still presented a great ambience. The Astros decide if the roof will be closed or open and due to weather it was the decision to keep it closed. The roof takes from 12-20 minutes to open or close which is a bit longer than Globe Life Field. One of the fascinating features of Minute Maid Park is a replica of a 19th century locomotive complete with a coal tender that runs along the roof line in the outfield. The decision to make this train a part of the architecture provided a link to the historic Union Station and the railway influnce on the city of Houston. The coal tender runs the train on the track and blows the whistle whenever the Astros hit a homerun. Definitely a crowd favorite! When we began the planning of this journey many of our family and friends wanted to join us along the way. We were so pleased to have our son Shawn, great friend Angie, brother-in-law Mike and his friend Tyler join us for the game. The Astros fans were very kind and had a lot of enthusiasm. We had many fans stop us to ask about our shirts which list dates and ballparks of our tour. The staff at Minute Maid Park were beyond helpful and generous to take a picture or give a friendly suggestion. Our usher Jim, (nice name) gave the recommendation for the hot dog and even asked to take a picture of the action while Jim did his review! We were pleasantly surprised by a gift we received from Anita in guest services. Anita is a friend of our cousin Dalene who lives in Dallas. We received a certificate of our "First Baseball Game at Minute Maid Park", Astro hats, Orbit Bobbleheads and Orbit stuffed animals. Astro fans not only sing "Take Me Out To The Ballgame," in the 7th inning but "Deep In The Heart of Texas!" What great fun! The food selections were plentiful at Minute Maid Park but of course Jim had to have a hot dog for his reivew. Check it out on our Instagram @ourfieldofdreams2023. I was not too adventurous as I was still recovering from that "Boomstick Hot Dog" in Arlington so I shared chicken strips and fries with my friend Angie and son Shawn. They were delicious and the fries were some of the best I have ever tasted! Now for the game highlights. World Champion Houston Astros lost to the Texas Rangers with a final score of Rangers 6 and Astros 2. Rangers bats were hot, almost like they were when we saw them earlier this week. Rangers players Nathaniel Lowe doubled in the 1st inning, Travis Jankowski tripled in the 2nd inning, Adolis Garcia homered in the 3rd inning and Nathaniel Lowe and Josh Jung both had RBIs. The offense for the Astros was not as strong with Yordan Alvarez getting a home run in the 3rd inning and Martin Maldonado blasting a home run in the 5th inning. Too bad the bases were empty. Never thought I would be cheering for the Astros, but we are rooting for the home team at all parks unless they are playing our team. Jim had a tough time rooting for the Astros since he is a Dodger fan but felt a little better because Jose Altuve is out on the injured list. LOL The night ended with a fan that obviously spent a little too much time in the beer garden running onto the field with a beer in hand. Security took care of him very quickly! Now we are off to game #4 with a stop in New Orleans for a gastronomic experience. Next game Wednesday, April 19 Giants vs. Marlins at Loan Depot Park in Miami, Florida.