Minute Maid Park concourse was temporarily flooded on Saturday
The city of Houston and much of southeast Texas has been inundated with severe weather and heavy rains this week, leading to flooding conditions and the entire area being declared a disaster by President Obama.
Unfortunately, they didn’t get any relief on Saturday as a new line of powerful thunderstorms hit the area, leading to new concerns about flooding and the well being of local residents. The new line actually moved through as the Astros were playing host to the Chicago White Sox, and the torrential rains even led to temporary flooding in the ballpark’s concourse..
Of course, Minute Maid Park is equipped with a retractable roof, so the action on the field was not impacted. However, fans were advised to remain clear of the left field concourse as the water rose to about four inches.
The water stood for about 5 or 6 minutes, according to the Astros, so it wasn’t a major issue. But it was a stunning visual nonetheless.
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At one point the rains were coming down so hard you couldn’t see out through the glass panels of the roof. Some rain made it through where the panels weren’t sealed, soaking the outfield wall.
Fans were informed that the ballpark would remain open following the game until the severe weather passed. About an hour after the final out the stands were mostly clear with the remaining fans being told the doors would close at 7 p.m. local time, about 90 minutes after the final pitch.
The Astros won Saturday’s game 3-0 behind a complete game shutout from left-hander Dallas Keuchel. The announced attendance was 29,720, which all things considered was a healthy audience.
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Mark Townsend is a writer for Big League Stew on Yahoo Sports. Have a tip? Email him at [email protected] or follow him on Twitter! Follow @Townie813
