Dome Sweet Dome: History and Highlights from 35 Years of the Houston Astrodome (SABR Cities and Stadiums)

Heralded as the “Eighth Wonder of the World” when it opened in 1965, the Astrodome was the world’s first domed stadium. Detailed recaps of 70 games played there join nine insightful feature essays about the ballpark. Some of the games might be considered great, like Nolan Ryan’s record-breaking fifth no-hitter, or historic, like the first regular-season game in the ’Dome. Other contests are remembered for milestone accomplishments, such as Jim Wynn becoming the first player to hit three home runs in the Astrodome, or fantastic finishes like the Astros’ 22-inning victory in 1989. Stories feature Hall of Famers like Ryan, Bagwell, Craig Biggio, and Randy Johnson, as well as stars from Larry Dierker and Mike Cuellar to José Cruz and Mike Scott, and lesser remembered players, such as George Bjorkman. No volume would be complete without the Astros’ heartbreaking losses in postseason games in the 1980s and 1990s. Feature essays contextualize the stadium’s history, with pieces on the Astrodome’s engineering, movers and shakers in the stadium’s creation (including Roy Hofheinz, George Kirksey, and Craig Cullinan), the Astrodome as a home to non-baseball events, and of course, an in-depth historical review of the Astrodome itself. Astrodome icons, pitcher Larry Dierker and longtime team executive Tal Smith, wrote introductions.

Just a few of the games and chapters included:
September 13, 1965: Mays Clouts Number 500, GREGORY H. WOLF
August 26, 1966: Aspromonte’s Walk-Off Slam, THOMAS RATHKAMP
June 18, 1967: Unhittable: Wilson Tosses First No-No, GREGORY H. WOLF
July 2, 1967: “Wynning” Reaction for the Winning Run, JOHN BAUER
September 27, 1967: Cuellar Outduels Bunning, NORM KING
April 15, 1968: The Astrodome Marathon, RICHARD RIIS
August 23, 1968: The Heady Heights of Seventh Place, JOHN BAUER
May 27, 1969: Rader’s Walk-Off Slam Sinks Phillies, THOMAS RATHKAMP
June 18, 1972: Reuss Spins One-Hitter, RICHARD A. CUICCHI
June 10, 1974: Mike Schmidt Wallops a Tremendous...Single? CHIP GREENE
June 15, 1976: Rainout in the Astrodome, RICK SCHABOWSKI
July 9, 1976: Dierker Tosses a No-No, GREGORY H. WOLF
June 24, 1977: Watson Hits for Cycle; Cruz Walk-Off Double in 11th, RICHARD RIIS
July 17, 1978: Walk-Off Homer Preserves Niekro’s Extra-Inning Gem, GORDON GATTIE
April 7, 1979: Ken Forsch No-Hitter, CHIP GREENE
August 3, 1979: J.R. Richard Strikes Out 15 for Complete-Game Victory, T.S. FLYNN
October 11, 1980: Wild Extra-Inning Playoff Game, JIM SWEETMAN
September 26, 1981: Ryan’s Fifth No-Hitter, FREDERICK C. BUSH
July 13, 1983: Bjorkman Knocks in Five in Cup of Coffee, GREG ERION
April 8, 1984: Dickie Thon and the Shadow of Ray Chapman, BILL MCCURDY
July 15, 1984: Ashby’s Walk-Off Single Ends it in the 16th, ALAN COHEN
April 9, 1985: Morganna Smooches Ryan, NORM KING
July 15, 1986: Clemens Returns to Houston for All Star Game, Wins MVP, MICHAEL HUBER
September 23, 1986: Eight Straight Strikeouts for Jim Deshaies, BRENT HEUTMAKER
September 25, 1986: Mike Scott No-Hits the Giants, FREDERICK C. BUSH
October 15, 1986: Staving Off Scott, RORY COSTELLO
June 3, 1989: “The Game that Would Never End” JOE THOMPSON
June 8, 1990: Mike Scott Strikes Out 15, MICHAEL HUBER
September 8, 1993: Darryl Kile Tosses No-Hitter, CHIP GREENE
June 24, 1994: Bagwell Homers Twice in One Inning, FREDERICK C. BUSH
June 13, 1997: First Interleague Game in the Astrodome, STEVE WEST
August 28, 1998: The Big Unit Fans 16, GREGORY H. WOLF
October 1, 1998: Spiers’ Walk-Off Single Ties the NLDS, PAUL GEISLER
May 11, 1999: Setting Team-Record For Runs and Doubles, MATTHEW HENSHON
June 13, 1999 /

SABR is the Society for American Baseball Research, a group of over 6,000 enthusiasts about the game of baseball whose research interests range from the game's history to statistical analysis, records, cultural impact, and more. The SABR Games Project is an initiative to research and write articles on major-league and Negro League regular, postseason, and All-Star Games. These game accounts will complement Retrosheet and Baseball-Reference box scores as well as BioProject essays on the players involved. Anyone with a love of baseball can join SABR and become a part of these efforts.