Yankee Stadium

Yankee Stadium, one of the most storied stadium in sports history, was built in 1923 and in service through 2008 when it was replaced by the New Yankee Stadium.

Yankee Stadium hosted 6,581 Yankee games, 161 postseason games, 100 World Series games, 31 American League Championship Series games, and 4 Major League Baseball All-Star games.

First Game - Wednesday, April 18th, 1923 vs. Boston Red Sox

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The Yankees defeated the Boston Red Sox 4 to 1 in the first game at Yankee Stadium on April 18th, 1923. Leading up to the game, Babe Ruth told reporters "I would give a year of my life if I can hit a home run in the first game in this new park." The Babe's wish came true as he hit the first home run in the stadium, a 3-run shot giving the Yankees the win.

74,000+ fans attended the first game at Yankee Stadium. Afterwords, the Babe said "I'm very happy to have hit the first home run in the new stadium, God only knows who will hit the last."

Yankee Stadium Nicknames

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Yankee Stadium has earned a variety of nicknames over the years, all referring to the stadium's grandeur and importance to baseball and North American sports. Some of the nicknames the venerable Yankee Stadium has accrued are the "Cathedral of baseball", the "Home Office for Baseball", and simply the "Mecca."

Yankee Stadium Titles

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37 of the Yankees' American League pennants were earned while the Yankees called Yankee Stadium home (2 were achieved while the team played at the Polo Grounds). All 26 of the Yankees' World Championships were earned while the team called Yankee Stadium home and 9 of the titles were clinched at Yankee Stadium.

Monument Park

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16 Yankee Numbers were retired at Yankee Stadium and were 21 commemorative plaques in Monument Park when the stadium closed. Miller Huggins, the Yankee Manager, was the first legend commemorated with a plaque commissioned at Yankee Stadium in 1932.

Stadium Records

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During the Yankee Stadium's final home stand, Yankee Captain Derek Jeter passed Lou Gherig's record for the most hits at the stadium. As Jeter indicated in an interview that week, the record was special because while most records are made to be broken, this was one that would exist forever. Jeter finished with 1,274 hits at Yankee Stadium, passing Lou Gherig's mark of 1,269 hits at the stadium.

Yankee Home Parks

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Hilltop Park: 1903-1912
Polo Grounds: 1912-1922
Yankee Stadium: 1923-2008
New Yankee Stadium: 2009-present

A housing development now occupies the site of the Yankee's former home, the Polo Grounds. The Polo Grounds was the home field of the New York Giants (now the San Francisco Giants) and the Yankees were asked to leave when they began outdrawing the Giants in attendance in the early 1920s.

Colonel Ruppert, owner of the Yankees, then set out to build a new stadium for the Yankees and selected a site directly across the Harlem River from the Polo Grounds. The way Yankee Stadium was built, almost as though it was intended to face the neighboring Polo Grounds and their former landlord the Giants appears give the impression that the Yankees wanted to send a message across the river to their hometown rival. The message was clear: the Yankees were here to stay. With a little imagination, you can still envision the two dueling stadiums staring at each other from across the river.

The Giants moved to San Francisco in 1958, coinciding with the Dodgers move from Brooklyn to LA, and they have yet to add to their five World Series titles achieved while in New York. The Polo Grounds was a multi-use stadium in the years following the Giants move until the Mets played their first two seasons at the Stadium in '62 and '63 while Shea Stadium was being constructed. The Polo Grounds was demolished in April 1964, as the Mets played their first game at Shea Stadium.

Memorable Moments

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In 1941, Joe DiMaggio set a record of 56 consecutive games with a hit. The mark still stands today and is considered one of the least likely records to be broken. The same year, the Yankee Clipper uttered the phrase for which he has become most famous, "I want to thank the Good Lord for making me a Yankee."

Final Game - Sunday, September 21, 2008 Baltimore Orioles vs. New York Yankees

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Derek Jeter, like all Yankees players and fans, had a lot of emotion over the final Yankee game at Yankee Stadium. Jeter's status for the game was unfortunately jeopardized when he was hit on his left hand by a Jim Miller pitch in the bottom of the 9th inning during the second to last game on Saturday, one day before the final game. After the Saturday game, Jeter implied during interviews that nothing would prevent him from giving it a go in Sunday's Yankee Stadium finally.

The importance and excitement of the final game at Yankee Stadium was not dampened by the fact that the Yankees would be missing the playoffs in 2008 for the first time in 13 years. The nationally televised game on ESPN was scheduled for 8pm but the stadium was opened at 1pm for ticket holders to visit Monument Park and walk on the field.

As the festivities continued toward the start of the game and ESPN began its live broadcast, a non-stop tour down memory lane ensued. A unique treat for viewers was Yogi Berra and Whitey Ford's extended time in the booth telling stories.

Even as the Yankees got into an 0-2 hole during the first two innings, there was something in the air that this would be the Yankees night. In the third inning, a couple of bloop singles put two runners on base. In poetic fashion, Johnny Damon hit a three-run home run that just cleared the short-right front porch believed to have been designed for Babe Ruth. After 85 years, we finally have the answer to the Babe's question. Adding to the irony is the Damon, like Ruth, was a former Red Sox great. After Damon's home run, Derek Jeter almost matched the accomplishment that just fell short of the right porch wall near where Damon had just hit his homerun.

As it turned out, Yankee Catcher Jose Molina hit a 2-run home run in the bottom of the fifth inning to break a 3-3 tie and give the Yankees the lead for good. The final home run beckoned a different Yankee memory as Duke Sims, then Yankee Catcher hit the last home run at Yankee Stadium before the renovation in 1973.

The Yankees won the final game over Orioles 7-3, ringing the stadium in with a win to start the 1923 season and saying goodbye with a win at the end of 2008. After the game, the traditional handshakes among team members were all hugs, while Sinatra belted out our song on the stadium sound system. Everyone was relishing the moment as neither the fans nor the players were in a hurry to leave.

After a few minutes, the team gathered on the pitching mound and Derek Jeter spoke over the loudspeaker ...


When Peter Gammons was interviewing Derek Jeter after the game, he asked how long it took to come up with that speech. Jeter said he didn't really know what he was going to say when he was walking out to the mound. He said that he had just been asked to do the speech a few days before and hadn't really had time to sit down and work on something. Jeter finished by saying "I really just wanted to thank the fans because there are no memories without the fans."

As usual, home made signs were scattered throughout the capacity crowd. Perhaps the best and most fitting thought to close on was a fan's sign that was shown on the broadcast just after the game ended ... "To the last one out, turn out the lights."

Yankee Stadium Lasts...

Last Hit: Jason Giambi
Last Homerun: Jose Molina
Last RBI: Robinson Robinson
Last Win: Andy Pettite

Other Events

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Yankee stadium is famous for more than just the countless Yankee moments. The Pope has held Mass at Yankee Stadium three times; in 1965, 1979, and 2008. Knute Rockne gave the "Win One for the Gipper" speach at Yankee Stadium before Notre Dame played Army. Joe Louis and Muhammad Ali one legendary fights here, and many more.

The Yankee Stadium Experience

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River Avenue

River Avenue has always been inseparable from the Yankee Stadium experience. River Ave. between 156th and 161st street is full of sports memorabilia shops, bars and restaurants. It seems that Stan owns most of the blocks fronting River Avenue adjacent to Yankee Stadium and Stan's Sports Bar is synonymous with a Yankee Game the way the Cubby Bear is the core of the Wrigleyville experience.

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