Wayback Wednesday: Spring Training 2009

With a lull this week in real baseball news, let's wind it back a decade, March 2009, with the Astros (still a National League club) hosting the Yankees at their former Spring Training home, Osceola County Stadium. This cozy 5400-seat ballpark was very much old school -- in contrast to those built around Florida and Arizona this century.
The Astros spent 32 seasons in Kissimmee (1985 - 2016), and minor league ball continued there through 2018 with the Florida State League's Fire Frogs. That, too, has ended, as the county spent the past year redeveloping the stadium for soccer.
Above: that's Johnny Damon at bat for the Yanks. Below: near the end of the game, the sky is a bit less blue. Also catching my eye, the lack of screening. Box seat fans needed to keep an eye on the game -- not their phones.

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