When Did Old Yankee Stadium Open?
In 1923, the Old Yankee Stadium opened up for the New York Yankees for their first game. The old Yankee Stadium use to be the third oldest baseball stadium in the game when the Yankees played there. After the Yankees spent time playing at the Polo Grounds with the New York Giants, the Yankees finally had their own home. In 1923, the Old Yankee Stadium was a hallmark in design and function for Yankees fans and players to enjoy. During the next 85 years, the Old Yankee Stadium will become of the most famous arenas in the world.
The Yankees now play at the New Yankee Stadium which is located right across the street. There are some similarities with the new stadium and their previous home which was known as “the stadium” to many fans. Many people now refer to the new stadium as the house that George Steinbrenner built.
Is the Old Yankee Stadium Still Standing?
The old Yankee Stadium no longer exists in the Bronx, but there is a park where it stood now. The New Yankee Stadium sits across where the old stadium stood. However, you will still find subtle nods to the old stadium in the pubic park’s design with the baseball fields there.
Where was the Yankees Former Home Located?
The Old Yankee Stadium location was in the Bronx, New York in the United States. The Bronx makes up one of five boroughs in New York City. Many subway lines run parallel to Yankee Stadium, so the location was ideal for fans visiting from New Jersey, Upstate New York, Manhattan and the rest of New York City. The exact location of the old Yankee Stadium was 161st Street which ran next to River Avenue in the Bronx. The Harlem River runs near the old and now New Yankee Stadium in 2019.
Check out Yankee Stadium Parking if you want to learn about parking tips.
What Team Played at the Old Yankee Stadium?
The New York Yankees are a Major League Baseball (MLB) team in the American League East Division. In the American League East Division, you have the Boston Red Sox, Baltimore Orioles, Tampa Bay Rays, and Toronto Blue Jays.
What were the Old Yankee Stadium Outfield Dimensions?
From 1923 to 2008, Yankee Stadium had many different dimensions for the playing field. When Mickey Mantle and Roger Marris were playing in 1961, you would see the fence in the left-center field be at 460 feet from home plate.
During the 2008 year, you would have seen the following dimensions from home plate. 318 in left field, 399 in left center, 408 in center field, 385 in right center, and 314 in right field. Right field was always known as the short porch in the right due to Babe Ruth playing for the Yankees. The name of the park became known as the house that Ruth built after all the home runs he hit to right field.
What was the Original Yankee Stadium Capacity?
Throughout the eighty-five years of existence, Yankee Stadium went through numerous capacity changes. With the renovations that took place in the ’70s, Yankee Stadium kept around the same capacity up until 2008. In the final season in 2008, Yankee Stadium had a capacity of 57,545.
Notable Events
Over 6 thousand baseball games were played at Yankee Stadium with countless World Series games and championships. Famous World Series games were against the Dodgers, Giants, New York Mets, and many more teams. The Yankees now have 27 World Series championships as of 2019. Yankee Stadium is known as one of the most famous arenas due to the championships won and all the non-baseball events that have been there.
The Old Yankee Stadium went through a major renovation from 1974 to 1975. The improvements included fixing the concrete, removing the upper deck poles, the frieze saw it’s removal from the grandstand upper deck to the bleachers, and more. The frieze was put over the scoreboard and outfield bleachers, so it lost it’s iconic look in the upper deck. The Yankees played at Shea Stadium (The Mets Stadium) during this time when their stadium was under renovation
One notable aspects of the Old Yankee Stadium was Monument Park. Monument Park was section out in left field that honored great Yankees of the past. 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.
2008 was the final season of the Old Yankee Stadium. The All-Star Game was also at the Old Ballpark that year, so it made the final season even more special to fans. The last MLB game (final game) was on September 21, 2008, against the Baltimore Orioles. Bob Sheppard made a final PSA address and The Yankees won their last game at the venue. Finally, the last Bleacher Creature Roll call took place at the old venue on September, 21, 2008.
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