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field Metrodome
The field
During its early years of operation, the field at the Metrodome was surfaced
with SuperTurf, which was disliked by both football and baseball players as
being too hard. This surface was upgraded to Astroturf in 1987, and in 2004, the
sports commission had a newer artificial surface, called FieldTurf, installed.
FieldTurf is thought to be a closer approximation to natural grass than
Astroturf in its softness, appearance, and feel.
Plexiglas
Before the mid-1990s, the left-field wall included a seven-foot clear Plexiglas
screen for a total height of 14 feet. It was off of this Plexiglas wall that
Twins legend Kirby Puckett jumped to rob Ron Gant of the Atlanta Braves of an
extra-bases hit during the 1991 World Series - in later years, with the
Plexiglas removed, it would have been a potential home run ball.
The Baggie
The Metrodome's right-field wall is composed of the seven-foot-high (2.1 m)
fence around the whole outfield and a 16-foot-high (4.9 m) plastic wall
extension in right field, known as the "Baggie" or the "Hefty Bag." The seats
above and behind the Baggie are home run territory; the Baggie itself is part of
the outfield wall. Fenway Park's "Green Monster," a comparable but taller
feature, is 17 feet (5.2 m) closer to home plate than the Baggie is, so batters
who hit short, high fly balls are not typically helped by it. However, it is an
attractive target for left-handed power hitters, and it is not uncommon for
upper-deck home runs to be hit to right field. When in a rectangular
configuration for football and other small-field events, the Baggie is taken
down and the seats behind it extend to form complete lower-deck seating.
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