UNBOXED with Doug Glanville

The First Hit: Leading Off at a New Ballpark

Top: “First Pitch” at Enron Field, April 7, 2000, lithograph from The Rob Arra Collection; Bottom: Take Me Out to the Ballpark: An Illustrated Tour of Baseball Parks Past and Present by Josh Leventhal (with inside page featuring Minute Maid Park, previously known as Enron Field), published February 1, 2006

Every once in a while, particularly when I am calling a game in Houston, I am reminded of playing in the first-ever game at Enron Field against the Astros. Enron Field became Minute Maid Park and is now Daikin Park after the name was changed on January 1, 2025… But it is still the same place.

As a leadoff hitter with the Phillies for many years, I had the chance to open up a couple ballparks—or at least bat in the first inning of its first game, like at Turner Field. This equivalent of “cutting the ribbon” at new ballparks adds up over the years. It makes me think of the new cathedrals that opened during my playing days: PNC Park, Great American Ball Park, Citizens Bank Park, Chase Field, to name a few. Playing in a new park gives you a glimpse of the future, much like the awe I felt when we made our first trip to Coors Field. What?!? It has a batting cage in the visiting clubhouse! Wow. We didn’t even have one inside of our clubhouse at home back then. (And, Coors also had the best bacon for day games!)