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It’s been nearly ten years since the Twins vacated the trampoline turf of the Metrodome for the greener (and real) grass of Target Field. From 1982 to 2009, our beloved local nine called the air-supported stadium home. Throughout 28 seasons, historical moments aplenty unfolded under the Teflon-coated roof of The House That Puck Built. Eddie Murray, Dave Winfield, and Cal Ripken, Jr. joining the 3,000 hit club. Hrbek’s Game-6 grannie in ’87. Black Jack spinning a 10-inning shutout in Game 7 of the ’91 World Series. The list goes on.
Now, it’d be as easy as a can of corn to bang out similarly monumental moments—but that wouldn’t do the Dome the damn justice it deserves. Taking in a game at Hubert H. Humphrey was like walking into a twisted carnival complete with a marshmallow-in-bondage roof, claustrophobic concourses, and trough urinals designed to make even the most overactive bladder bashful. Yet for reasons unknown, I have a soft spot in my heart for the Metrodome. Maybe these moments below are to blame?
10. What goes up must not come down. Dave “Sky King” Kingman launches a fly ball into a drainage hole.
9. What goes up must come down. The roof collapses five times in the stadium’s history—most notably in 2011.
8. Dome-field advantage. The air-conditioning blowers are responsible for Kirby Puckett’s 11th-inning walk-off homer in Game 6 of the ’91 World Series.
7. Winning is the worst. The Metrodome ranks first in TIME Magazine’s Top 10 Worst Stadiums in the U.S.
6. This
5. This
4. This
3. And this
2. Hrbek’s hroics. Kent Hrbek pulls Ron Gant off of first base in the 1991 World Series.
1. Minnesorta Nice Chuck Knoblauch—the former Twins second baseman who forgot how to throw to first—returns to a not-so-warm welcome.