Text and photos by Joe Mock
All rights reserved
For almost two decades, we’ve provided a comparison of the two ballparks being used in that year’s World Series. While there was a World Series last year, nothing about it was normal, as no team was allowed to play in its home park in the postseason, and all Fall Classic games were played at the same venue: recently opened Globe Life Field, home of the Rangers.
So it was impossible to provide a “tale of the tape” comparing two different stadiums when only one was used … although we did give you a rundown of the sole park that was utilized.
While things aren’t exactly “back to normal” — plus the end of the current Collective Bargain Agreement between MLB and the players union is looming — they are way more normal than last year. That means we can once again provide this badly needed public service of providing you with a comparison of the 2021 World Series ballparks.
If you’re tempted to think of the Braves as perennial World Series contestants, it shows your age. If you were a baseball fan in the 1990s, you saw Atlanta in the Fall Classic an amazing five times that decade — and in 1994 there was no World Series due to the players’ strike. So over the course of eight WS, the Braves were participants five times, but were winners only once.
Their last appearance that decade was 1999, when they were swept by the Yankees.
And until this year, that was their last appearance.
Since Truist Park has only been open since 2017, it will be hosting its first Fall Classic.
The Astros, meanwhile, have participated as both the National League pennant-winner (2005, when they were swept by the White Sox) and the American League representative (2017, when they won, and 2019 when they lost the upside-down Fall Classic to the Nationals, when the visiting team won all seven games).
Houston is certainly no stranger to the postseason in recent years, having earned a spot in the playoffs six of the last seven seasons. 2016 was the only time during that span that they failed to make it to the postseason.
So as we’ve been doing every autumn since 2003, here’s our look at the “tale of the tape” of the two parks in this year’s World Series. As always, it’s a little tongue-in-cheek!
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Inside |  |
Minute Maid Park |
Truist Park |
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| Most Houstonians would like to forget that the park was called Enron Field when it opened in 2000. It replaced the Astrodome, but kept the concept of air conditioning intact. | Year opened | Shockwaves reverberated around the sport when the Braves announced they were abandoning two-decade-old Turner Field. The new park (called SunTrust Park at the time) opened in 2017. |
| For years, the park’s neighborhood in downtown Houston remained grim. Eventually multiple hotels and eateries moved in, making its area a lot nicer. | Site | The site selected by the Braves to build their new palace ruffled some features, since it was already congested and a long way from downtown. But The Battery development adjacent to the ballpark is phenomenal. |
| Never been a fan of its aesthetics, so it ranks 24th in our MLB rankings | Our ranking among 30 MLB parks | Amenities, sightlines and a wonderful design earned it the number-ten spot. |
| 41,168. The Astros finished 6th in MLB in attendance in 2021, averaging 25,537. | Seating capacity | 41,084. While not a great road draw (17,968), the Braves averaged a very strong 29,490 at home, second only to the mighty Dodgers |
| Natural grass (Platinum TE Paspalum) | Playing surface | Natural grass (Platinum TE Paspalum) |
| A real locomotive runs on tracks high above left field. There is gas pump that keeps track of HRs. Thankfully, the in-play hill in deep CF was removed in 2016. | Special features | There’s a fabulous area devoted to team history, especially honoring Hank Aaron. Statues outside honor legends Cox, Spahn and Niekro. |
| Populous (then called HOK) and Molina | Designed by | Populous |
| $250 million | Cost to build | $622 million |
| 315′-362′-409′-373′-326′ The Crawford Boxes in LF yield some cheap HRs | Outfield dimensions | 335′-385′-400′-375′-325′ |
| This is the fourth, with a sweep by the White Sox in 2005, a title in 2017 and a loss in 2019 | World Series hosted | This is the first, since the park is only in its fifth season. |
| The Astros’ only World Series title was in 2017 | Last World Series won by home team | Long before Truist Park was envisioned, the Braves won the 1995 Fall Classic |
| With Astros pitcher Roger Clemens taking the loss, the AL beat the NL 9-4 in 2004 | All Star Games hosted | It was scheduled to host in 2021, but MLB yanked it away and placed it in Denver |
| Beautiful Union Station, which is on the National Register of Historic Places, anchors the west corner of the ballpark | Landmarks | Since it’s in a newer area, there’s nothing you’d consider a “landmark” nearby, but The Battery is a fantastic place to eat and shop |
| Concerts from headliners like Paul McCartney and Taylor Swift have been held here. | Other events | Nearby Kennesaw State beat Jacksonville State in the only football game here. Concerts have featured Billy Joel, Metallica and Green Day |
| The Astros’ home yields fewer runs and hits than the MLB average, but exactly the average number of HRs and the most triples | 2021 park factors Source: ESPN |
Truist yields almost exactly the average number of hits, but 2.2% more HRs, 6.3% more doubles and 10.9% more runs than average |
| Fans, who can make this stadium a deafening place when the roof is closed, still bristle when the Astros’ 2019 cheating scandal is mentioned | Filled with | Braves partisans have truly missed the glory days of the 1990s, and they’d love to boo the Commissioner when he presents the WS trophy |
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Outside |  |