Astros train conductor, 'Bobby Dynamite' rides internship to the job of a lifetime

HOUSTON, Texas (KTRK) -- An internship has turned into a wild ride for the luckiest Astros fan inside Minute Maid Park.

Above the outfield is a view that many Astros fans would pay a lot of money to enjoy. However, only one fan gets to see the action from this perspective for each game.

The fan is Bobby Vasquez, also known as "Bobby Dynamite." He's enjoyed the perch above Minute Maid's outfield for 20 years after his internship turned into a conductor job.

"Honestly, I thought it would be a year," Vasquez recalled. "I would be lucky if it was a year, and here we are 21 years later, 20 years later I'm still up here."

During the game, Vasquez sits in the train above centerfield.

He has to pay very close attention to the game. When the Astros hit a home run, he operates the train and sounds the horn.

He also must be careful.

"I've been hit by a ball trying to catch one," Vasquez recalled. "I saw it coming in, and it ended up hitting me on the arm."

Vasquez has witnessed 20 seasons, but says this one might be the most special.

After being the only fan allowed inside the ballpark last season because of the pandemic, he's thrilled to have fans back.

"We had the roof closed last year, and it just echoed," Vasquez recalled. "We have the roof closed in the playoffs and with the fans, you can't even hear yourself think."

The job might be lonely at times, but "Bobby Dynamite" doesn't plan to give up this view anytime soon.

"I was just in the right place at the right time," Vasquez explained. "Knowing that, I don't take it for granted. As long as they let me do it, I'll keep showing up."

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