Yankee Stadium became known as The House That Ruth Built, but as Appel once wrote, it was first the home that Yankees owner Col. Jacob Ruppert envisioned and turned into reality. Oregon State Agricultural College (now Oregon State) was the first West Coast team to travel across the country and play an East Coast team. Old Yankee Stadium (Heritage Field) - Clio Yankee Stadium hosted its final baseball game on September 21, 2008. During the 2008 year, you would have seen the following dimensions from home plate. [32] Demolition began in March 2009 with the removal of the playing field. The small piece of 1923 Yankee Stadium was bulldozed with the rest of it. It was the home ballpark of the New York Yankees, one of the city's Major League Baseball (MLB) franchises, from 1923 to 1973 and from 1976 to 2008. Nearby Fordham University played 19 games there, going 1351. By 1928 some of the box seats had been chiseled away in the left field corner, allowing a somewhat longer foul line distance of 301 feet (92m). Some of the names at Monument Park were Babe Ruth, Lou Gehrig, Joe DiMaggio, Mikey Mantle, Miller Huggins, Roger Maris, Yogi Berra, Derek Jeter, and many more. Using the name the New York Yanks they played two seasons at Yankee Stadium, 1950 and 1951. Reggie Jackson (outfield) and Willie Randolph (second base) started for the American League; Sparky Lyle (pitcher), Thurman Munson (catcher) and Graig Nettles (third base) also made the team. Also that year, in Yankee Stadium's final international match on May 28, England defeated Italy 32 as part of the Bicentennial Cup Tournament. Finally, on June 29, Yankee Stadium hosted its own version of the Derby della Madonnina, with A.C. Milan defeating Inter 64. That December, after significant lobbying by Lindsay, the New York City Board of Estimate approved $24million ($140million in 2014 dollars) for the city to renovate Yankee Stadium. Sheppard was also the public-address announcer for the football Giants from 1956 through 2005, first at Yankee Stadium and then at Giants Stadium in the New Jersey Meadowlands. [25] In January 1973, CBS sold the Yankees to a group led by George Steinbrenner for $10million. Following an unsuccessful attempt to save Gate 2 (the only portion of the original Yankee Stadium that mostly remained unaltered after the venue's renovation), demolition of the outer walls of the stadium began on March 29. [41][42] By January 2010, the loge level was gone and demolition began on the left field escalator bank adjacent to Gate 2. Regardless of what the figure was, it was undoubtedly more than the 42,000 fans who attended game five of the 1916 World Series at Braves Field, baseball's previous attendance record. However, you will still find subtle nods to the old stadium in the pubic parks design with the baseball fields there. After the 19741975 renovations of Yankee Stadium, the outfield fence was moved in, enclosing the monuments and plaques on the old fence and creating "Monument Park". From the New York Yankees Museum to Lobel's, Yankee Stadium has a lot to offer Yankees fans. Yankee Stadium Photos and Premium High Res Pictures - Getty Images The hit left Gifford with a concussion and forced his temporary retirement from football for the remainder of the 1960 season and all of the 1961 season.[81]. The 1929 game between the two teams had the highest attendance in the series at 79,408. Heritage Field Opens Near Yankee Stadium - The New York Times Tuesday marks the 100th anniversary of the original Yankee Stadium. Many people also felt three baseball teams could not prosper in New York City, but Huston and Ruppert were confident the Yankees could thrive amongst the more established New York Giants and Brooklyn Dodgers of the National League (their gamble eventually paid off: Both National League teams relocated to California following the 1957 season). The Stadium hosted 37 of the 83 possible World Series during its existence (not counting 197475, and the 1994 strike), with the Yankees winning 26 of them. Located only a half-mile (0.8km) north of the upper Manhattan location of the Polo Grounds, Yankee Stadium opened for the 1923 season and was hailed at the time as a one-of-a-kind facility in the country. Yankees COO Leon Trost said at a press conference, "We're talking about . At one point, he hit 13 straight home runs, many of which landed in the stadium's upper deck and deep into the right field bleachers, spurring the crowd to chant his name. [91], The foul pole, upper deck, and the bleachers, This article is about the former Yankee Stadium that opened in 1923. In 1968, in addition to league competition, the Generals took on Santos, winning 53 and Real Madrid, losing 41. His distinctive voice (Yankee legend Reggie Jackson has called him "the Voice of God") and the way he announced players for over half a century made him a part of the lore of the stadium and the team. The origins of Monument Park can be traced to the original three monuments of Lou Gehrig, Miller Huggins and Babe Ruth that once used to stand in-play in center field. From 1970 to 1987, the Cape Cod Baseball League (CCBL) played its annual all-star game at various major league stadiums. Jim Palmer was the game's starting pitcher because Nolan Ryan refused to play when Martin asked him. To mark the occasion, fans attending the Yankees home game against the Los Angeles Angels will receive a commemorative ticket from the 1923 opener. A new middle tier was built featuring a larger press box and 16 luxury boxes. The current Yankee Stadiums capacity is a non-colossal 46,537. This was the second All-Star Game held in New York; the Polo Grounds had hosted the event in 1934. [1], Celtic F.C. For the current Yankee Stadium, see, Demolition in February 2010 (top), and 3 months later, the remains of the original stadium (middle left) next to the new Yankee Stadium (middle right), Sullivan, Neil. Yankee Stadium hosted its final Classic during the 1987 season, also the last time a football game was played there. Original dimensions at Yankee Stadium were 295 ft. (right), 490 ft. (center), and 281 ft. (left). On July 20, 1957, evangelist Billy Graham attracted a crowd of 100,000 to a televised "crusade" at Yankee Stadium. Yankee Stadium Directions and Parking Info | New York Yankees - MLB Babe Ruth and Lou Gehrig played there on a barnstorming tour, the . The boxing ring was placed over second base; a 15-foot (4.6m) vault contained electrical, telegraph and telephone connections. Yankee Stadium was a gigantic horseshoe shaped triple-decked ballpark that was the first to be called a stadium. Following the 1949 season, the NFL New York Bulldogs acquired many of the players from the 1949 Yankees. Finally, the last Bleacher Creature Roll call took place at the old venue on September, 21, 2008. The figure included $3.5million for the purchase of the stadium and the 8-acre (3.2ha) piece of land from Rice University and the Knights of Columbus. Baseball teams typically played in 30,000-seat facilities, but Huston and Ruppert invoked Ruth's name when asked how the Yankees could justify a ballpark with 60,000 seats. Monument Park was an open-air museum that contained the Yankees' retired numbers, as well as a collection of monuments and plaques honoring distinguished members of the New York Yankees. They heard John Philip Sousas Seventh Regiment Band play as the Yankees and Red Sox marched out to the center-field flagpole, where the Yankees 1922 American League pennant flag was raised after the American flag went up. [84], On September 15, 1968, the U.S. national soccer team played an international friendly against the Israel national team at the Stadium. The New York Giants of the NFL played their home games at Yankee Stadium from 1956 to 1973. With Andy Pettitte as the starting pitcher, the Yankees played their final game at Yankee Stadium against the Baltimore Orioles, recording the final out at 11:43pm EDT in a 73 Yankee victory. Yogi Berra (catcher), Mickey Mantle (outfield), Roger Maris (outfield) and Bill Skowron (first base) were in the starting lineup; Jim Coates (pitcher) and Elston Howard (catcher) were reserves. In total, the venue hosted 100 World Series games. There are some similarities with the new stadium and their previous home which was known as the stadium to many fans. Yankee Stadium. After the game was over, captain Derek Jeter delivered a speech on the field surrounded by his teammates. A white painted concrete replica of the frieze was added atop the wall encircling the bleachers. The original wooden stadium seats were replaced with wider plastic ones and the upper deck expanded upward nine rows, excluding the walkway. The games were interleague contests between the CCBL and the Atlantic Collegiate Baseball League (ACBL). The New York Yankees are a Major League Baseball (MLB) team in the American League East Division. The stadium's walls were built of "an extremely hard and durable concrete that was developed by Thomas Edison",[11] with a total of 20,000 cubic yards (15,000m3) of concrete used in the original structure. Sign in . Cardinal Francis Spellman (1957), Pope Paul VI (1965), Pope John Paul II (1969 as a cardinal, 1979 as pope) and Pope Benedict XVI (2008) all celebrated Mass at the ballpark, along with numerous clergy. Mariano Rivera made the final pitch in the stadium with Cody Ransom recording the final out at first base. This was one of eight championship fights the "Brown Bomber" fought at Yankee Stadium. Will Rogers lamented what the "Oregon apple knockers" had done to his "city slickers" in a column after the game. Bob Shawkey, who pitched a complete-game win for the Yanks in the 1923 opener, threw out the ceremonial first pitch in 73, and Whitey Witt the Yankees first batter at the Stadium was at home plate. [29], An official closing ceremony was reportedly discussed to occur in November 2008, but was scrapped when the organization decided the final event should be a baseball game. [31], The front office staff vacated the premises on January 23, 2009. [79] It was the final game at the stadium for either team. [46] The groundbreaking ceremony for Heritage Field took place on June 29, 2010. In February 2010, demolition work began on the upper deck and the outfield wall; the final part of the outfield wall (the Continental Airlines ad, the out-of-town scoreboard and the remaining part of the advertising panel to its right) was taken down February 24, 2010.