Minute Maid Park to get another entrance in 2019

New gate coming near Texas Ave. and Hamilton

While no changes are planned for the playing field at Minute Maid Park prior to the 2019 season, the Astros will add an additional entrance to the ballpark adjacent to the Diamond Club parking lot.

The new entrance will be located near the Texas Avenue-Hamilton Street intersection and will require the removal of the Corona Cantina location and several windows near the season ticket holder headquarters, said Reid Ryan, the Astros’ president for business operations.

Adding the new entrance, which will extend the building’s footprint toward the parking lot, will enable the ballclub to add 18 magnetomer security checkpoint locations, Ryan said. In all, the Astros plan to boost the number of security checkpoints for next season from 40 to 70.

“The additional entrance by the clock tower will help with the traffic both from our east and south,” Ryan said in an email. “This allows us to dedicate an entrance to premium ticket holders for the suites, club level, Diamond and Insperity clubs. The capacity being added is equal to adding an additional right field-sized entrance.”

While entry patterns to the ballpark may change if and when the Pierce Elevated portion of Interstate 45 is rerouted to coincide with Interstate 69, Ryan said the current traffic flow includes about 30 percent to 32 percent of fans entering through center field and left field gates.

An equal percentage enters through the south home plate and atrium entrances along Texas Avenue, and the rest enters through the existing clock tower and right field gates, he said.

Elsewhere, Ryan said no changes are planned for the right field wall, the site of the controversial spectator interference call during the American League Championship Series, or the batter’s eye in center field, which was rebuilt before the 2017 season.

Some observers suggested that the team remove a row of seats closest to the field along the right field wall, which has been the site of several fan interference calls in recent years, or install a sheet of clear Plexiglas atop the wall to lessen the possibility of fan interference without blocking sight lines.

Ryan, however, said, “Currently we are not planning any changes to the playing dimensions of Minute Maid Park for the 2019 season.”

The low-slung wall also prompted discussion during the ALCS as to whether a permanent camera, perhaps mounted on the foul pole, would assist replay officials and umpires in determining home run calls. Turner Sports employed a camera during the ALCS, but its view on the Jose Altuve fan interference call was blocked by a security guard who leaned over the rail and into the camera’s line of sight.

Ryan said baseball’s winter meetings likely will include discussions of several technology issues, including camera positions for replays.

Elsewhere, Ryan said the area around the new entrance will include a renovated bar area and that planners are looking at new concession points of sale.

The area behind right field that formerly housed a children’s play area will continue to be used as flex space for retail sales and for non-game charity events. The team will announce plans next spring, Ryan said, regarding the lobby of Union Station, which was used as expanded gift shop space this year, and its previously announced plans to consider adding an Astros’ hall of fame to the stadium.

Elsewhere, he said no additional safety netting will be added to the existing nets, and the controls on the train locomotive adjacent to the retractable roof track “are being upgraded to ensure (the train) will be with us for years to come.”