2025 Program layout - Flipbook - Page 37
Known by many names, Isotopes Hill in center 昀椀eld was one of the most unique features
in professional baseball. During construction in 2002, longtime minor league baseball
executive Dave Rosen昀椀eld suggested to Isotopes owner Ken Young the new ballpark
should have a signature element. The Hill featured a 4.5-foot incline and a length of
126 feet. Some out昀椀elders showcased their athleticism with memorable circus catches.
Others were helpless victims, literally falling in pursuit of a long 昀氀yball. After 19 seasons,
however, Major League Baseball told the Isotopes to remove The Hill for player safety.
Albuquerque won its 昀椀nal game with Isotopes Hill, a 4-3 victory over El Paso on Sept. 28,
2022. Whether you called it Topes Slope, Hoffman’s Hill, Bernard’s Berm, or simply The
Hill, it was the last professional ballpark to feature an uphill slope on the playing 昀椀eld.
The Hill undergoes construction in mid-2002.
Isotopes Hill circa 2021 and 2022, respectively.
Isotope players pose for a picture (Left) on Topes Slope at the conclusion of the final game of the
ALBUQUERQUE
ISOTOPES
SOUVENIR
PROGRAM
2022 season. The day after 2025
the season
finale, construction
crews began
demolition of
Isotopes Hill.
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