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Sat Nov 03, 2012 6:33 pm
Field dimensions
Left Field - 343 ft
Left-Center - 365 ft
Center Field - 402 ft
Right-Center - 370 ft
Right Field - 330 ft
The Twins inaugural season of 1961. You can see the construction taking place during the summer of 1961. The first two tiers of the triple-deck stand were extended down the first base side, just past the right field corner, increasing capacity to 30,637.
Unlike most multipurpose stadiums built during this time, there were very few bad seats for baseball. It was well-known as a hitter's park; its short power alleys were particularly friendly to home run hitters such as Harmon Killebrew. The 330-foot marker in right was actually closer to right-center, leading to speculation that right field was even closer.
In 1965, both the Major League All-Star Game and the World Series were played at the Met, one of the few times that coincidence has happened since the former event was inaugurated in 1933.
Metropolitan Stadium in the 1960s, if you look closely, you may be able to see that ATG favorite Jim Merritt is the scheduled pitcher against the Angels.
Aerial view of Metropopitan Stadium
Aerial of a full Metropolitan Stadium in the 1970s. Despite good attendance, the Met was not well maintained; there were many broken railings in the third deck by the late 1970s. Its fate was essentially sealed when, as part of the AFL-NFL Merger, the NFL declared that stadiums smaller than 50,000 were inadequate for its needs; the Met only seated 48,700 for football, and the Vikings made public their desire for a new stadium. Since football-only stadiums were not seen as viable at the time, the Twins decided not to renew their lease at the Met after the 1981 season. This accelerated the push for construction of a new stadium, the Hubert H. Humphrey Metrodome, which was completed in 1981.
Fan favorite Tony Oliva batting during 1965's AL pennant-winning season. Oliva finished 2nd in the MVP voting to his teammate, SS Zoilo Versalles.
Harmon Killebrew swinging for the fences in 1970. Killebrew hit 246 of his 573 Home Runs at Metropolitan Stadium.
Rod Carew during his magical 1977 season when he flirted with .400 and wound up batting .388
Metropolitan Stadium in disrepair during the 1980s
The Mall of America opened in 1992 on the site of Metropolitan Stadium. A brass plaque in the shape of home plate, embedded in the floor in the northwest corner of Nickelodeon Universe, commemorates the site's days as a sports venue by marking where home plate once sat. Near the opposite corner, mounted high on the wall, is a red stadium chair denoting the precise landing spot (including elevation) of Harmon Killebrew's 520-foot (160 m) home run, a blast to the upper deck in deep left-center field on June 3, 1967. This was the longest homer Killebrew ever hit, and the longest ever hit in Metropolitan Stadium.
Left Field - 343 ft
Left-Center - 365 ft
Center Field - 402 ft
Right-Center - 370 ft
Right Field - 330 ft
The Twins inaugural season of 1961. You can see the construction taking place during the summer of 1961. The first two tiers of the triple-deck stand were extended down the first base side, just past the right field corner, increasing capacity to 30,637.
Unlike most multipurpose stadiums built during this time, there were very few bad seats for baseball. It was well-known as a hitter's park; its short power alleys were particularly friendly to home run hitters such as Harmon Killebrew. The 330-foot marker in right was actually closer to right-center, leading to speculation that right field was even closer.
In 1965, both the Major League All-Star Game and the World Series were played at the Met, one of the few times that coincidence has happened since the former event was inaugurated in 1933.
Metropolitan Stadium in the 1960s, if you look closely, you may be able to see that ATG favorite Jim Merritt is the scheduled pitcher against the Angels.
Aerial view of Metropopitan Stadium
Aerial of a full Metropolitan Stadium in the 1970s. Despite good attendance, the Met was not well maintained; there were many broken railings in the third deck by the late 1970s. Its fate was essentially sealed when, as part of the AFL-NFL Merger, the NFL declared that stadiums smaller than 50,000 were inadequate for its needs; the Met only seated 48,700 for football, and the Vikings made public their desire for a new stadium. Since football-only stadiums were not seen as viable at the time, the Twins decided not to renew their lease at the Met after the 1981 season. This accelerated the push for construction of a new stadium, the Hubert H. Humphrey Metrodome, which was completed in 1981.
Fan favorite Tony Oliva batting during 1965's AL pennant-winning season. Oliva finished 2nd in the MVP voting to his teammate, SS Zoilo Versalles.
Harmon Killebrew swinging for the fences in 1970. Killebrew hit 246 of his 573 Home Runs at Metropolitan Stadium.
Rod Carew during his magical 1977 season when he flirted with .400 and wound up batting .388
Metropolitan Stadium in disrepair during the 1980s
The Mall of America opened in 1992 on the site of Metropolitan Stadium. A brass plaque in the shape of home plate, embedded in the floor in the northwest corner of Nickelodeon Universe, commemorates the site's days as a sports venue by marking where home plate once sat. Near the opposite corner, mounted high on the wall, is a red stadium chair denoting the precise landing spot (including elevation) of Harmon Killebrew's 520-foot (160 m) home run, a blast to the upper deck in deep left-center field on June 3, 1967. This was the longest homer Killebrew ever hit, and the longest ever hit in Metropolitan Stadium.