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 ...
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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 Jos??? 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 /
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