On March 21, 1966, the Los Angeles Dodgers faced the Houston Astros in the first ever MLB game played on an artificial surface. Created by Monsanto, the product was initially named “ChemGrass,” but rebranded to AstroTurf upon being installed at the Astrodome.
A state-of-the-art project when it opened in 1965 as the Harris County Domed Stadium, the building featured “Lucite” skylights that allowed sunlight to enter and help grow the natural grass playing field.
However, outfielders struggled to cope with the translucent panels during afternoon games as they were blinded by the sunlight. Thirty percent of the panels were coated with paint to address the problem, but that created another issue as the natural grass began dying.