Houston Astros unveil major change at Minute Maid Park

When the Houston Astros returned to Minute Maid Park on Friday, it looked a little different than the last time they were there.

After losing to the Tampa Bay Rays 1-0 on August 4, the Astros began a nine-game road trip. They lost their first game to the Texas Rangers before winning the next eight, sweeping the Rays and the Boston Red Sox.

But when they returned to Houston to face the Chicago White Sox on Aug. 16, their field was not the same as the one they had left two weeks earlier. What changed? The batter’s eye behind the center-field wall was a different color.

During the Astros’ absence, the team painted the batter’s eyes a darker shade of green, which should help hitters see the ball better. Houston manager Joe Espada shared his thoughts on the change, which he revealed has been in the works for some time.

“I actually like it,” Espada said. “It’s something that, as an organization, I know we’re trying to replace. It’s worn out over the years. I like the dark color.”

Espada explained that the change was not the result of a complaint from a player or coach. He said the move had been on the organization’s to-do list for some time and the team finally decided to address it.

The first-year manager also said he doesn’t know what effect the new batting eye will have or if it will benefit hitters. Time will tell, but the impact may not be known until next year, as Houston only has 22 home games left in the regular season this year.

For the record, the Astros already hit much better at home than they do on the road. Coming into Friday’s game, they were batting .261/.324/.438 in Houston compared to .259/.317/.400 everywhere else, a 45-point OPS difference. If the new hitter’s eye works as expected, that difference could become even more pronounced late in games.