Watch every catch made on Tal's Hill, which the Astros plan to remove

The Houston Astros announced on Thursday that they plan to remove the hill in centerfield known as Tal's Hill. Watch every catch made on the hill here.

Author:
SI Wire
Publish date:
Jun 4, 2015

The Houston Astros announced on Thursday that they plan to remove the hill in centerfield known as Tal's Hill. In its memory, watch every catch made on the hill below.

The hill and in-play flagpole hearken back to vintage ballparks. Cincinnati's old Crosley Field and Fenway Park in Boston both had noticeable outfield inclines, and parks such as Yankee Stadium and Tiger Stadium had flagpoles in centerfield.

Houston's hill is 90 feet wide and angled at 30 degrees. It debuted when the stadium opened in 2000 and has perplexed centerfielders ever since.

“I've seen a couple dudes fall when they hit that uneven ground,” Detroit Tigers centerfielder Austin Jackson told MLive.com in 2013. “That's just something if where a ball gets hit out there, you just hope that you can make the catch and not look too bad doing it.”

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Only a handful of players have successfully navigated the slope. Watch every catch below.