Astros Top Yanks in Astrodome Debut

Apr. 9, 1965 - When the sun is turned off in Houston, the Astrodome stadium is all a Texan’s pride wants it to be. In 71 degrees and 50% humidity, a rare combination in hot and humid Houston, the ballpark with the hat on had its public debut tonight. 

Before 47,876 fans, including President and Mrs. Johnson, the Astros beat the Yankees in 12 innings, 2-1. (Pictured below, Mickey Mantle leads off for the Yankees in the first inning.)

The trouble will come when the daylight peers through these 4,596 panes of translucent plastic in the dome, and the Astros are playing. Like tomorrow afternoon against the Baltimore Orioles.

The sun doesn’t have to be shining very brightly. Just grinning a bit as it was today. The Astros first found they would have some trouble catching fly balls in an intrasquad game Thursday.

“It took two hours to play the first two innings,” manager Lum Harris said. “It was frightening. Balls were dropping everywhere. The same fielders can go out at night and catch them between their legs.”

Most of the Astros think the plastic panes and the steel support will have to be painted black. The Astros could then play their 21 day games with the lights turned on.

“All night games would be our final alternative,” Astro general manager Paul Richards said. “I know that people who can build a wonderful ($31,500,000) stadium like this can solve this one little problem. They had the blankety brains to build the S.O.B., and they can figure how to black it out.”

There was a quiet moment of drama before tonight’s game. The Yankee lineup was tape to a wall of the longest dugouts in existence (120 feet), and manager Johnny Keane had all but rubbed out Hector Lopez’s name.

“Mickey told me he wants to run out there and see how he feels,” Keane said.

Mickey Mantle, who hadn’t played for a week because of a pulled hamstring, worked out and reported to Keane, and the manager ripped up the lineup card. The new one had Mantle leading off. Lopez was removed.

“I want Mickey to be the first man to hit in a game between major league teams in a dome stadium,” Keane said.

Mantle hit — singling Dick Farrell’s second pitch in the first inning and later, in the sixth, homering over the 406-foot center-field fence.

That was the game’s drama until Nellie Fox pinch-hit a game-winning single off Pete Mikkelsen in the 12th. 

But it was Mantle who had the last word and perhaps the best description of the new domed stadium: “It looks like something you’d expect to see if you hitched a ride on a flying saucer.”

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