Yankee Stadium (1923)

{{short description|Former baseball stadium in the Bronx, New York}}
{{about|the former Yankee Stadium that opened in 1923|the current Yankee Stadium|Yankee Stadium}}
{{Use mdy dates|date=March 2015}}
{{Infobox venue
| stadium_name = Yankee Stadium
| nickname = ''"The House That  [[Babe Ruth|Ruth]] Built"''<br>''"The Cathedral of Baseball"''<br>''The Stadium''<br>''"The Bronx Zoo"''
| image = Yankee Stadium aerial from Blackhawk.jpg
| image_size = 300px
| caption = Aerial view in August 2002
| address = East 161st Street & River Avenue
| location = [[The Bronx]], [[New York City]]
| coordinates = {{coord|40|49|37|N|73|55|41|W|type:landmark_region:US-NY|display=it}}
| broke_ground = May 5, 1922
| opened = April 18, 1923<br>April 15, 1976 (re-opening)
| renovated = October 1973 – April 1976
| closed = September 30, 1973 (renovations)<br />September 21, 2008 (final game)<br />November 9, 2008 (final tour)
| demolished = September 22, 2008 – May 13, 2010
| reopened = April 15, 1976
| owner = [[New York City|City of New York]]
| operator = [[New York Yankees]]
| record_attendance = 123,707 on August 3, 1958 Jehovah's Witnesses International Convention<ref name="Record_Attendance">{{cite web |title=8/3/1958 JEHOVAH'S WITNESSES CONVENTION - LARGEST CROWD Old Yankee Stadium Historical Plaque, Ruppert Plaza, Bronx, New York City |url=https://www.flickr.com/photos/jag9889/8643314989/in/photostream/ |website=flickr |date=April 2013 |access-date=9 October 2019 |format=Photo}}</ref>
| surface = Grass
| construction_cost = $2.4&nbsp;million<!-- in 1923 dollars--><br>($34,417,738.10 in 2022<!-- dollars-->) <br>Renovations: $167&nbsp;million (1976; ${{formatprice|{{Inflation|US|167000000|1976}}}} in {{Inflation-year|US}}<!-- dollars-->{{inflation-fn|US}})
| architect = [[Osborn Engineering|Osborn Engineering Corporation]] (1923)<br>Praeger-Kavanaugh-Waterbury (1976)
| general_contractor = White Construction Co. (1923)
| tenants = [[New York Yankees]] ([[Major League Baseball|MLB]]) 1923–1973, 1976-2008<br>
[[NYU Violets football|NYU Violets]] ([[National Collegiate Athletics Association|NCAA]]) part-time, 1926–1948<br>[[New York Yankees (NFL)|New York Yankees]] ([[American Football League (1926)|AFL I]] / [[National Football League|NFL]]) 1926–1928<br>[[New York Yankees (1936 AFL)|New York Yankees]] ([[American Football League (1936)|AFL II]]) 1936–1937<br>[[New York Yankees (1940 AFL)|New York Yankees]] ([[American Football League (1940)|AFL III]]) 1940<br>[[New York Yankees (1940 AFL)|New York Americans]] (AFL III) 1941<br>[[New York Yankees (AAFC)|New York Yankees]] ([[All-America Football Conference|AAFC]]) 1946–1949<br>[[New York Yanks]] (NFL) 1950–1951<br>[[New York Giants]] (NFL) 1956–1973<br>[[Gotham Bowl]] (NCAA) 1962<br>[[New York Skyliners]] ([[United Soccer Association|USA]]) 1967<br>[[New York Generals]] ([[National Professional Soccer League (1967)|NPSL]] / [[North American Soccer League (1968–84)|NASL]]) 1967–1968<br>[[New York Cosmos (1970–1985)|New York Cosmos]] (NASL) 1971, 1976<br>[[New York Black Yankees]] ([[Negro league baseball|NLB]]) 1931, 1941–1948<br>[[New York Cubans]] (NLB) 1941–1946
| seating_capacity = 58,000 (1923) • 82,000 (1927) •<br>62,000 (1929) • 71,699 (1937) •<br>70,000 (1942) • 67,000 (1948) •<br>67,205 (1958) • 67,337 (1961) •<br>67,000 (1965) • 65,010 (1971) •<br>54,028 (1976) • 57,145 (1977) •<br>57,545 (1980) • 57,478 (2003) •<br>56,936 (2005)
| dimensions = '''Left Field''' – {{Convert|318|ft|m|0}}<br>'''Left-Center''' – {{Convert|399|ft|m|0}}<br>'''Center Field''' – {{Convert|408|ft|m|0}}<br>'''Right-Center''' – {{Convert|385|ft|m|0}}<br>'''Right Field''' – {{Convert|314|ft|m|0}}<br>'''Backstop''' – {{Convert|84|ft|m|0}} [[File:YankeeStadium I Dimensions.svg|200px]]
}}

The original '''Yankee Stadium''' was located in [[the Bronx]] in [[New York City]]. It was the home of the [[New York Yankees]] from [[1923 New York Yankees season|1923]] to [[2008 New York Yankees season|2008]], except for [[1974 New York Yankees season|1974]]–[[1975 New York Yankees season|1975]] when it was renovated. It hosted 6,581 Yankees regular season home games during its 85-year history. It was also the home of the [[New York Giants]] [[National Football League]] (NFL) team from October 21, [[1956 New York Giants season|1956]] through September 23, [[1973 New York Giants season|1973]]. The stadium's nickname is "'''The House That Ruth Built'''"<ref name="YankeesStadium">{{cite web|url=http://newyork.yankees.mlb.com/nyy/ballpark/stadium_history.jsp|title=Yankee Stadium History – New York Yankees|publisher=newyork.yankees.mlb.com|access-date=September 24, 2015|archive-date=June 29, 2008|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20080629183719/http://newyork.yankees.mlb.com/nyy/ballpark/stadium_history.jsp|url-status=dead}}</ref> which is derived from [[Babe Ruth]], the baseball superstar whose prime years coincided with the stadium's opening and the beginning of the Yankees' winning history.

The stadium was built from 1922 to 1923 for $2.4&nbsp;million ($43 million in 2023 dollars). Its construction was paid for entirely by Yankees owner [[Jacob Ruppert]], who was eager to have his own stadium after sharing the [[Polo Grounds]] with the [[New York Giants (baseball)|New York Giants]] baseball team the previous ten years. Yankee Stadium opened for the [[1923 New York Yankees season|1923]] season and was hailed at the time as a unique facility in the country. Over the course of its history, it became one of the most famous venues in the United States, hosting a variety of [[List of events at Yankee Stadium (1923)|events and historic moments]] during its existence. Many of these moments were baseball-related, including [[World Series]] games, [[no-hitters]], [[Perfect game (baseball)|perfect games]], and historic home runs, but the stadium also hosted boxing matches, the [[1958 NFL Championship Game]], college football, concerts, and three Papal Masses. Its condition deteriorated in the 1960s and 1970s, prompting its closure for renovation from October 1973 through [[1975 New York Yankees season|1975]]. The renovation significantly altered the appearance of the venue and reduced the distance of the outfield fences.<ref name="ciystad">{{cite news |url=https://news.google.com/newspapers?id=M_NLAAAAIBAJ&pg=6790%2C2661590 |work=Spokesman-Review |location=Spokane, Washington |agency=Associated Press |title=Call it Yankee Stadium - but just isn't same |date=March 7, 1976 |page=D8}}</ref>

In 2006, the Yankees began building a [[Yankee Stadium|new $2.3&nbsp;billion stadium]] in public parkland adjacent to the stadium, which included $1.2&nbsp;billion in public subsidies.<ref name="fieldofschemes">{{cite web|url=http://www.fieldofschemes.com/documents/Yanks-Mets-costs.pdf|date=January 15, 2009|title=PRIVATE/PUBLIC COST BREAKDOWN FOR NEW YANKEES/METS STADIUMS, BY NEIL DEMAUSE, FIELDOFSCHEMES.COM, LAST UPDATE JANUARY 2009|author=Neil deMause|access-date=September 17, 2015}}</ref> The design includes a replica of the [[frieze]] along the roof that had been part of the original Yankee Stadium. [[Monument Park (Yankee Stadium)|Monument Park]], a Hall of Fame for prominent former Yankees, was relocated to the new stadium. Yankee Stadium closed following the [[2008 New York Yankees season|2008]] season and the new stadium opened in [[2009 New York Yankees season|2009]], adopting the "Yankee Stadium" moniker. The original Yankee Stadium was demolished in 2010, two years after it closed, and the {{convert|8|acre|adj=on}} site was converted into a public park called ''Heritage Field''.<ref name="nycgovparks.org">{{cite web |url=http://www.nycgovparks.org/sub_your_park/nyy_stadium/html/nyy_redevelopment.html |title=The Yankee Stadium Redevelopment Project |work=New York City Department of Parks & Recreation |access-date=May 16, 2010}}</ref>

==History==

===Planning and construction===
The Yankees had played at the [[Polo Grounds]] in upper [[Manhattan]] since 1913, sharing the venue with the [[New York Giants (NL)|New York Giants]]. However, relations between the two teams were rocky, with the Giants harboring resentment towards the Yankees. The Yankees had been looking for a new and permanent venue since at least 1909.<ref>[''New York Times'', December 24, 1909]</ref> The local papers had periodic announcements about the Yankees acquiring and developing land in the [[Kingsbridge, Bronx|Kingsbridge]] neighborhood for a new ballpark northeast of 225th and Broadway, and wrote about the park as if its construction was already in progress.<ref>[''New York Times'', November 12, 1911]</ref><ref>[''New York Tribune'', March 29, 1914]</ref> The Kingsbridge pipe dream continued with new owners Ruppert and Huston, but nothing came of it. The Yankees would remain tenants at the Polo Grounds for ten years, the same length of time they had spent at [[Hilltop Park]].

For the 1920 season, the Yankees acquired star slugger [[Babe Ruth]] and in his first year with his new team, the Yankees drew 1.3&nbsp;million fans to the Polo Grounds, outdrawing the Giants. By the middle of 1920, the Giants had issued an eviction notice to the Yankees, which was soon rescinded.<ref name="sabr">{{cite web|url=http://sabr.org/bioproj/park/58d80eca|title=Polo Grounds (New York) &#124; SABR|publisher=sabr.org|access-date=September 17, 2015|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20150907072152/http://sabr.org/bioproj/park/58d80eca|archive-date=September 7, 2015|url-status=dead}}</ref> In 1921, the Yankees won their first [[American League]] [[pennant (sports)|pennant]] (but lost the then-best-of-nine [[1921 World Series]] to the Giants in eight games, all played at the Polo Grounds). This exacerbated Giants owner [[Charles Stoneham]]'s and manager [[John McGraw]]'s resentment of the Yankees and reinforced their insistence that the Yankees find another place to play their home games. McGraw, always ready with a pointed quote for the sportswriters, derisively suggested that the Yankees relocate "to [[Queens]] or some other out-of-the-way place".<ref name="House">{{cite book|last=Weintraub|first=Robert|title=The House That Ruth Built: A New Stadium, the First Yankees Championship, and the Redemption of 1923|year=2011|publisher=Hachette Digital, Inc.|isbn=978-0-316-08607-3|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=tZKHQmFAMEYC&q=Queens%20or%20some%20other%20out-of-the-way%20place%20giants&pg=PT23}}</ref>
[[File:Yankee Stadium,1920s.jpg|thumb|left|Main entrance during the 1920s]]
[[Tillinghast L'Hommedieu Huston]] and [[Jacob Ruppert]], the Yankees' owners since January 1915, finally decided to put the club's dream into reality and build their own stadium. The owners did so at considerable financial risk and speculation. 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. The doubt over the Yankees' lasting power was amplified by baseball's sagging popularity after the 1919 [[Black Sox Scandal]], in which eight [[Chicago White Sox]] players were expelled for conspiring with gamblers to fix that year's [[1919 World Series|World Series]]. 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 (NL)|New York Giants]] and [[Brooklyn Dodgers]] of the [[National League (baseball)|National League]] (their gamble eventually paid off: Both National League teams relocated to California following the 1957 season). The total bill for construction of the stadium was $2.5&nbsp;million.

Huston and Ruppert explored many areas for Yankee Stadium. Of the other sites being considered, the [[Hebrew Orphan Asylum of New York|Hebrew Orphan Asylum]], at Amsterdam Avenue between 136th and 138th streets in [[Manhattan]], nearly became reality.<ref>{{cite news |title=Yankees Pick Site For New Ball Park |url=https://timesmachine.nytimes.com/timesmachine/1921/01/30/112667624.pdf |archive-url=https://ghostarchive.org/archive/20221009/https://timesmachine.nytimes.com/timesmachine/1921/01/30/112667624.pdf |archive-date=2022-10-09 |url-status=live |access-date=30 January 2021 |work=The New York Times |volume=LXX|issue=23017 |date=30 January 1921 |page=1}}</ref> Consideration was also given to building atop railroad tracks on the West Side of Manhattan (an idea revived in 1998) and to [[Long Island City]], in [[Queens]]. The area Huston and Ruppert settled on was a {{convert|10|acre|ha}} lumberyard in [[the Bronx]] within walking distance from and in sight of, [[Coogan's Bluff]]. The Polo Grounds was located on the Manhattan side of the [[Harlem River]], at 155th Street and [[Eighth Avenue (Manhattan)|Eighth Avenue]]. Huston and Ruppert purchased the lumberyard from [[William Waldorf Astor]] for $600,000, equal to ${{Formatprice|{{Inflation|US|600000|1922}}}} today. Construction began May 5, 1922 and Yankee Stadium opened to the public less than a year later. The stadium's walls were built of "an extremely hard and durable concrete that was developed by [[Thomas Edison]]",<ref>{{cite news|url=http://sportsillustrated.cnn.com/2008/writers/the_bonus/09/18/yankee.stadium/index.html |title=Yankee Stadium, it's gone! Goodbye! |magazine=[[Sports Illustrated]] |first=Tom |last=Verducci |date=September 18, 2008 |access-date=September 22, 2008}}</ref> with a total of {{convert|20000|yd3}} of concrete used in the original structure.<ref>{{cite book|title=Yankee Stadium: Fifty Years of Drama |url=https://archive.org/details/yankeestadiumfif00durs |url-access=registration |first=Joseph |last=Durso |publisher=Houghton Mifflin |year=1972 |page=[https://archive.org/details/yankeestadiumfif00durs/page/40 40]|isbn=9780395140079 }}</ref>

===1923–1973===
[[File:Opening Day 1923 Yankee Stadium (baseball) LCCN2014715917.jpg|thumb|The raising of the American flag on Opening Day in 1923]]
Yankee Stadium officially opened on Wednesday, April 18, 1923, with the Yankees' first home game, against the Boston Red Sox. According to the ''[[New York Evening Telegram]]'', "everything smelled of&nbsp;... fresh paint, fresh plaster and fresh grass". At 3&nbsp;pm, the composer-conductor [[John Philip Sousa]] led the [[Seventh Regiment of New York#Seventh Regiment Band|Seventh ("Silk-Stocking") Regiment Band]] in playing ''[[The Star-Spangled Banner]]''. After a parade of the players and dignitaries, Babe Ruth was presented with a case containing a symbolically big bat. New York Governor [[Al Smith]] threw out the first pitch directly into the glove of catcher [[Wally Schang]] rather than the customary couple of feet wide. The Yankees went on to defeat Ruth's former team, the [[Boston Red Sox]], by a score of 4–1, with Ruth hitting a three-run home run into the right-field stands. Asked later for his opinion of the stadium, he replied, "Some ball yard."<ref>Slayton, Robert A. (2001), ''Empire Statesman: the rise and redemption of Al Smith'', [[Free Press (publisher)|The Free Press]], New York ({{ISBN|0-684-86302-2}}), pp. 229–230</ref>

Upon opening, [[Fred Lieb]] of the ''New York Evening Telegram'' dubbed it "The House That Ruth Built".<ref name="House"/><ref>{{cite book|last=Stout|first=Glenn|author2=Johnson, Dick |title=Yankees century: 100 years of New York Yankees baseball|year=2002|publisher=Houghton Mifflin Harcourt|isbn=0-618-08527-0|pages=104|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=1jgEtGJQ040C&q=Yankees%20century%3A%20100%20years%20of%20New%20York%20Yankees%20baseball&pg=PA104}}</ref> The Yankees also won their first [[1923 World Series|World Series]] during the Stadium's [[1923 Major League Baseball season|inaugural season]]. Future Yankee manager [[Casey Stengel]] hit the first post-season home run in stadium history while playing with the opposing [[New York Giants (NL)|New York Giants]].<ref name="go">{{cite web|url=http://espn.go.com/classic/s/series_subway_moments.html|title=ESPN Classic – Great Subway Series moments|publisher=espn.go.com|access-date=September 17, 2015}}</ref><ref name="retrosheet">{{cite web|url=http://www.retrosheet.org/boxesetc/1923/B10100NYA1923.htm|title=Retrosheet Boxscore: New York Giants 5, New York Yankees 4|publisher=retrosheet.org|access-date=September 17, 2015}}</ref> The only other teams to do so prior to the [[2006 St. Louis Cardinals]] in (the new) [[Busch Stadium]] had been the [[1909 Pittsburgh Pirates season|Pittsburgh Pirates]], who won the [[1909 World Series]] in [[Forbes Field]]'s inaugural season, and the [[1912 Boston Red Sox season|Boston Red Sox]], who won the [[1912 World Series]] in [[Fenway Park]]'s first year. The Yankees accomplished this feat yet again in the [[Yankee Stadium|New Yankee Stadium]] in the [[2009 World Series]].

The Stadium was the first facility in North America with three tiers, although the triple deck originally extended only to the left and right field corners. The concrete lower deck extended well into left field, with the obvious intention of extending the upper deck over it, which was accomplished during the 1926–27 off-season. As originally built, the stadium seated 58,000. For the stadium's first game, the announced attendance was 74,217 (with another 25,000 turned away); however, Yankees business manager [[Ed Barrow]] later admitted that the actual attendance was closer to 60,000. 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, during the 1920s and 1930s, the Yankees' popularity was such that crowds in excess of 80,000 were not uncommon. It was referred to as "the Yankee Stadium" (with the "s" in "stadium" sometimes lowercase) until the 1950s.

Yankee Stadium underwent more extensive renovations from 1936 through 1938. The wooden bleachers were replaced with concrete, shrinking the "death valley" area of left and center substantially, although the area was still much deeper than in most ballparks; and the second and third decks were extended to short right center. Runways were left between the bleachers and the triple-deck on each end, serving as bullpens. By 1938, the Stadium had assumed the "classic" shape that it would retain for the next 35 years. In April 1945, Yankees president [[Larry MacPhail]] announced that after the [[World War II|War]], the Yankees would install an additional tier of bleachers to increase stadium capacity to 100,000. In addition to the bleachers, he also planned to add 2,000 additional box-seats by lowering the field and shortening the distance from the backstop to home-plate from {{convert|82|to|60|ft|m}}.<ref>{{cite news |title=Enlarged Stadium to Seat 100,000 Planned by Yanks |first=Joe |last=Reichler |newspaper=Evening Independent |date=April 15, 1945 |url=https://news.google.com/newspapers?id=QKULAAAAIBAJ&pg=4927,4654160&dq=phillies&hl=en }}{{Dead link|date=December 2021 |bot=InternetArchiveBot |fix-attempted=yes }}</ref> However, the plans fell through and the expansion did not take place.

[[File:Yankee Stadium Color 1959.jpg|thumb|260px|A pre-renovation Yankee Stadium in 1959]] Many sources incorrectly state that prior to the [[1955 Major League Baseball season|1955 season]], Yankee Stadium's [[Ballantine Brewery|Ballantine Beer]] scoreboard was sold to the Phillies for use in [[Shibe Park]]. Although the two scoreboards possessed some superficial resemblances, they differed in many details and the Yankee Stadium scoreboard remained at Yankee Stadium until 1959 when it was replaced, two years after a different Ballantine scoreboard was installed at Shibe (by then renamed Connie Mack Stadium).<ref name="Lowry">{{cite book |title=Green Cathedrals |last=Lowry |first=Philip |year=2006 |publisher=Walker & Company |isbn=978-0-8027-1608-8 |page=178 |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=Afo5vtVTz4wC&q=green%20cathedrals&pg=PP1 }}</ref>

The stadium was owned by the Yankees until [[December 17]], 1953 when the ballclub's co-owners [[Dan Topping]] and [[Del Webb]] sold it and [[Municipal Stadium (Kansas City, Missouri)|Blues Stadium]] for $6.5 million ($57,676,180 in 2016 dollars) to [[Arnold Johnson (industrialist)|Arnold Johnson]], who also dealt the land under the ballpark to the [[Knights of Columbus]] for $2 million ($17,746,517 in 2016 dollars).{{sfn|Kauffman|1982|p=378}}<ref>[http://archives.chicagotribune.com/1953/12/18/page/61/article/yankees-net-2-700-000-in-park-deals "Yankees Net $2,700,000 In Park Deals"] ''Chicago Daily Tribune'', Friday, December 18, 1953</ref> After he purchased the [[Philadelphia Athletics]] and transferred the franchise to [[Kansas City, Missouri|Kansas City]] on [[November 8]], 1954, Johnson sold Yankee Stadium to John W. Cox on [[March 22]], 1955.<ref>[https://news.google.com/newspapers?nid=1129&dat=19550323&id=D8QwAAAAIBAJ&sjid=4moDAAAAIBAJ&pg=1567,6452061&hl=en "Yankee Stadium Sold To Chicago Businessman"] Associated Press, Tuesday, March 22, 1955</ref> Cox, a 1927 graduate of [[Rice University]], donated the ballpark to his alma mater on [[July 19]], 1962.<ref>[http://archives.chicagotribune.com/1962/07/20/page/45/article/yanks-park-given-to-rice-by-chicagoan "Yanks' Park Given To Rice By Chicagoan"] ''Chicago Daily Tribune'', Friday, July 20, 1962</ref>

In the 1966–67 offseason, during the period in which Rice owned the stadium, the concrete exterior was painted white, and the interior was painted blue.<ref>Adcock, Catherine; ''Sallyport'' (Winter 2006) [http://www.rice.edu/sallyport/2006/winter/features/Fact_Fiction2.html Rice University] {{webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20120211125551/http://www.rice.edu/sallyport/2006/winter/features/Fact_Fiction2.html |date=February 11, 2012 }}</ref> The metal frieze circling the upper deck was painted white.

===1974–75 renovations and beyond===
In 1970, newly reelected [[Mayor of New York City|Mayor]] [[John Lindsay]] approached team president Michael Burke of [[CBS]], which owned the Yankees, with an offer to spend $25&nbsp;million on improvements to Yankee Stadium. (Six years earlier, the Mets' new home, [[Shea Stadium]], had opened in Queens at a similar public cost.)  By this time, it was obvious that the stadium had significant structural issues; concrete chunks were seen by several fans falling from the stands.

Burke floated two proposals to build a new stadium on the same site in the Bronx; one included a dome. CBS also asked for 10,000 additional parking spaces and road improvements to alleviate traffic. In August 1971, the [[New York Giants]] football team announced that it would leave Yankee Stadium for [[Giants Stadium|a new football-only stadium]] in the [[Meadowlands Sports Complex]] under development in New Jersey. In 1971, the city of New York forced (via [[eminent domain]]) Rice to sell the stadium for a mere $2.5&nbsp;million (equivalent to ${{Formatprice|{{Inflation|US|2500000|1971}}}} today). That December, after significant lobbying by Lindsay, the [[New York City Board of Estimate]] approved $24&nbsp;million ($140&nbsp;million in 2014 dollars) for the city to renovate Yankee Stadium. The figure included $3.5&nbsp;million for the purchase of the stadium and the {{convert|8|acre|adj=on}} piece of land from [[Rice University]] and the [[Knights of Columbus]].<ref>Sullivan, Neil. The Diamond in the Bronx: Yankee Stadium and the Politics of New York (Oxford; 2001)</ref> At the time, New York City was on the brink of bankruptcy.<ref name="nymag">{{cite web|url=https://nymag.com/news/features/48290/|title=What Might Happen If New York City Defaulted -- New York Magazine|date=June 30, 2008 |publisher=nymag.com|access-date=September 17, 2015}}</ref> In January [[1973 New York Yankees season|1973]], CBS sold the Yankees to a group led by [[George Steinbrenner]] for $10&nbsp;million. Yankee Stadium closed for renovation on September 30, 1973. The Yankees played their home games in [[1974 New York Yankees season|1974]] and [[1975 New York Yankees season|1975]] at Shea Stadium (The [[National Football League|NFL]] [[1973 New York Giants season|Giants]] played their last Yankee Stadium game on September 23 (a tie),<ref name="setftie">{{cite news |url=https://news.google.com/newspapers?id=HusgAAAAIBAJ&pg=2704%2C3326689 |work=The Day |location=(New London, Connecticut) |agency=Associated Press |last=Lowitt |first=Bruce |title=Giants take Eagles lightly and settle for tie at end |date=September 24, 1973 |page=21}}</ref> then went to the [[Yale Bowl]] through [[1974 New York Giants season|1974]], Shea in [[1975 New York Giants season|1975]], and the new [[Giants Stadium]] in [[1976 New York Giants season|1976]]). When the renovated stadium opened in [[1976 New York Yankees season|1976]] on April 15, the cost had ballooned to $160&nbsp;million (${{Formatprice|{{Inflation|US|160000000|1976}}}} in {{inflation-year|US}} dollars); originally borne by New York City, it is now being paid off by New York State.

[[File:Yankee Stadium view from upper deck 2007.jpg|thumb|left|The post-renovation interior of the stadium, pictured in August 2007.]]

The outside shell of the stadium remained the same, with its original concrete walls painted over. Among the more noticeable changes after the renovation was the removal of 118 columns reinforcing each tier of the stadium's grandstand. The stadium's roof, including its distinctive {{Convert|15|ft|m}} metal [[frieze]], was replaced by the new upper shell and new lights were added. A white painted concrete replica of the frieze was added atop the wall encircling the bleachers. The playing field was lowered by about {{convert|7|ft}} and moved outward slightly. Escalators and ramps were added in three sections to make the upper deck more accessible. The original wooden stadium seats were replaced with wider plastic ones and the upper deck expanded upward nine rows, excluding the walkway. A new upper concourse was built above the old and original concourse exits were closed in by new seating. A new middle tier was built featuring a larger press box and 16 luxury boxes. About one-third of the bleacher seats were eliminated, their middle section converted to a blacked-out [[batter's eye]]. A wall was built behind the bleachers blocking the views from Gerard Avenue and the elevated subway platform above River Avenue. On this wall, the Yankees erected the first [[instant replay]] display in baseball, referred to in literature as a "telescreen". All told, the Stadium was reduced to a listed capacity of 57,545. The Stadium's playing field was drastically altered. "Death Valley" was reduced by more than {{convert|40|ft|m}} while the right-field home-run porch was moved out. Monuments once in play were moved to a newly created [[Monument Park (Yankee Stadium)|Monument Park]]. In 1985, the left field fence was moved in and the stadium assumed its final dimensions in 1988. Although it was essentially the same structure, the renovations were significant enough that some sources consider them two different stadiums. The ESPN Sports Almanac, for instance, calls the original stadium "Yankee Stadium I" and the renovated stadium "Yankee Stadium II".

On April 13, 1998, an {{convert|18|in|cm|adj=on}} long beam fell onto a seat before a scheduled game causing the postponement of two games and the relocation of a third to nearby [[Shea Stadium]] while the stadium was inspected.<ref>{{cite news |last1=Kennedy |first1=Randy |title=BASEBALL; Yankee Stadium Closed as Beam Falls Onto Seats |url=https://www.nytimes.com/1998/04/14/sports/baseball-yankee-stadium-closed-as-beam-falls-onto-seats.html |newspaper=[[The New York Times]] |date=April 14, 1998 |access-date=October 7, 2018}}</ref>

[[File:Yankee stadium exterior.jpg|thumb|right|The post-renovation exterior of the stadium, as it appeared in 2006.]]

===Replacement, closing, and demolition===
[[File:ALE-NYY-YankeeStadium.PNG|thumb|100px|left|Logo to commemorate the stadium's last season.]]
After years of speculation that the Yankees would build a new stadium to replace Yankee Stadium, construction began on August 16, 2006, with a groundbreaking ceremony across the street in [[Macombs Dam Park]]. The Yankees played their final two seasons in the stadium in [[2007 New York Yankees season|2007]] and [[2008 New York Yankees season|2008]] while the new venue was being built.

{{Multiple image|direction=vertical|align=right|image1=Yankee Stadium demolition.JPG|image2=Yankee Stadium 002.JPG|width=180|caption2=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)}}
After the final game in the Stadium's history was played on September 21, 2008, public tours of Yankee Stadium continued until November 23, 2008. November 9, 2008 was the last day the public tours included Monument Park and the retired number area. On November 12, 2008, construction workers began removing memorials from Monument Park for relocation to the new facility.<ref>{{cite news |title=Monument of Babe Ruth Removed |first=Anthony |last=DiComo |url=http://mlb.mlb.com/news/article.jsp?ymd=20081112&content_id=3676342&vkey=news_mlb&fext=.jsp&c_id=mlb |publisher=MLB |date=November 12, 2008 |access-date=May 16, 2010}}</ref> On November 8, 2008, former Yankees [[Scott Brosius]], [[Paul O'Neill (baseball)|Paul O'Neill]], [[David Cone]] and [[Jeff Nelson (pitcher)|Jeff Nelson]], all members of the [[1998 World Series|1998 World Series championship team]], joined 60 children from two Bronx based youth groups Youth Force 2020 and the ACE Mentor Program in ceremoniously digging up [[home plate]], the [[pitcher's mound]] pitching plate (rubber) and the surrounding dirt of both areas and transporting them to comparable areas of new Yankee Stadium.<ref>{{cite news |title=Former Yanks Help Lay Dirt in Stadium |first=Anthony |last=DiComo |url=http://mlb.mlb.com/news/article.jsp?ymd=20081108&content_id=3671715&vkey=news_mlb&fext=.jsp&c_id=mlb |publisher=MLB |date=November 8, 2008 |access-date=May 16, 2010}}</ref>

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.<ref>{{cite news|title=Yankees Stadium Closing Ceremony Scrapped |url=http://www.1010wins.com/Yankees-Stadium-Closing-Ceremony-Scrapped/3102452 |work=1010 WINS |agency=Associated Press |date=October 8, 2008 |access-date=May 16, 2010 |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20081011030051/http://www.1010wins.com/Yankees-Stadium-Closing-Ceremony-Scrapped/3102452 |archive-date=October 11, 2008 }}</ref> Yankee officials said that while the team had contemplated a final ceremony (with any proceeds going to charity), talk of a concert was just media speculation.<ref>{{cite news |title=No Final Concert at Yankee Stadium |url=http://www.ny1.com/content/top_stories/86899/no-final-concert-at-yankee-stadium/ |work=NY1 |date=October 8, 2008 |access-date=May 16, 2010 |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20120929235150/http://www.ny1.com/content/top_stories/86899/no-final-concert-at-yankee-stadium/ |archive-date=September 29, 2012 |df=mdy-all }}</ref>

The front office staff vacated the premises on January 23, 2009.<ref>{{cite news |title=Old Yankee Stadium Will Come Down Slowly |first=Anthony |last=Rieber |url=http://www.newsday.com/sports/baseball/yankees/ny-spystad0922,0,1036231.story |newspaper=Newsday |date=September 21, 2008 |access-date=September 22, 2008 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20080924232744/http://www.newsday.com/sports/baseball/yankees/ny-spystad0922,0,1036231.story |archive-date=September 24, 2008 |url-status=dead |df=mdy-all }}</ref> Demolition began in March 2009 with the removal of the playing field.<ref>{{cite news|title=Photo Gallery: Taking Off the Turf at Old Yankee Stadium |first=Tom |last=Kaminski |url=http://www.wcbs880.com/pages/4029323.php?imageGalleryXRefId=987324 |work=WCBS Newsradio 880 |date=March 16, 2009 |access-date=May 16, 2010 |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20090420140530/http://www.wcbs880.com/pages/4029323.php?imageGalleryXRefId=987324 |archive-date=April 20, 2009 }}</ref> On May 13, 2009, the process of removing seats began and was completed on June 8.<ref>{{cite news |title=Photo Gallery: Yankee Stadium Seat Removal Begins |first=Tom |last=Kaminski |url=http://www.wcbs880.com/pages/4396869.php |work=WCBS Newsradio 880 |date=May 2009 |access-date=May 16, 2010 |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20090517061010/http://www.wcbs880.com/pages/4396869.php |archive-date=May 17, 2009 |df=mdy-all }}</ref><ref>{{cite news |title=Photo Gallery: Standing Room Only at Old Yankee Stadium |first=Tom |last=Kaminski |url=http://www.wcbs880.com/pages/4572308.php |work=WCBS Newsradio 880 |date=June 8, 2009 |access-date=May 16, 2010 |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20100803034006/http://www.wcbs880.com/pages/4572308.php |archive-date=August 3, 2010 |df=mdy-all }}</ref> On September 3 and 4, the iconic white facade was dismantled.<ref>{{cite news |title=Photo Gallery: Yankee Stadium Facade Removal |first=Tom |last=Kaminski |url=http://www.wcbs880.com/pages/5143336.php |work=WCBS Newsradio 880 |date=September 3, 2009 |access-date=May 16, 2010 |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20100731084055/http://www.wcbs880.com/pages/5143336.php |archive-date=July 31, 2010 |df=mdy-all }}</ref><ref>{{cite news |title=Photo Gallery: Yankee Stadium Facade Removal |first=Tom |last=Kaminski |url=http://www.wcbs880.com/pages/5152211.php |work=WCBS Newsradio 880 |date=September 4, 2009 |access-date=May 16, 2010 |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20100802001424/http://www.wcbs880.com/pages/5152211.php |archive-date=August 2, 2010 |df=mdy-all }}</ref>

[[File:Yankee Stadium and Heritage Field, September 2012.jpg|thumb|250px|left|Heritage Field in 2012, with the new Yankee Stadium in background]]
On November 4, 2009, construction workers began tearing down the outfield bleachers.<ref>{{cite web |title=Old Yankee Stadium's rise and fall: Complete story of 'The House that Ruth Built' 100 years after its opening |url=https://www.cbssports.com/mlb/news/old-yankee-stadiums-rise-and-fall-complete-story-of-the-house-that-ruth-built-100-years-after-its-opening/ |website=CBSSports.com |access-date=16 November 2023 |language=en |date=18 April 2023}}</ref> On November 12, demolition work began on the field level grandstand.<ref>{{cite news|title=Photo Gallery: Yankee Stadium Destruction Update |first=Tom |last=Kaminski |url=http://www.wcbs880.com/pages/5668694.php?imageGalleryXRefId=1512624#imgXR |work=WCBS Newsradio 880 |date=November 12, 2009 |access-date=May 16, 2010 |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20091119080413/http://www.wcbs880.com/pages/5668694.php?imageGalleryXRefId=1512624 |archive-date=November 19, 2009 }}</ref> By the end of November, most of the grandstand and bleachers at field level were gone.<ref>{{cite news |title=Photo Gallery: Yankee Stadium Destruction Update |first=Tom |last=Kaminski |url=http://www.wcbs880.com/pages/5780484.php |work=WCBS Newsradio 880 |date=November 30, 2009 |access-date=May 16, 2010 |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20100803043752/http://www.wcbs880.com/pages/5780484.php |archive-date=August 3, 2010 |df=mdy-all }}</ref> By the first week of December, demolition of the midlevel loge seats had begun.<ref name="stadiumpage">{{cite web|url=http://www.stadiumpage.com/stpages/yankee_demo120309.html|title=Yankee Stadium Demolition – 12/03/09|publisher=stadiumpage.com|access-date=September 17, 2015}}</ref><ref name="stadiumpage2">{{cite web|url=http://www.stadiumpage.com/stpages/yankee_demo120409.html|title=Yankee Stadium Demolition – 12/04/09|publisher=stadiumpage.com|access-date=September 17, 2015}}</ref> By January 2010, the loge level was gone and demolition began on the left field escalator bank adjacent to Gate 2. 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.<ref>{{cite news|title=Photos: Yankee Stadium Destruction Update |first=Tom |last=Kaminski |url=http://www.wcbs880.com/pages/6380901.php?imageGalleryXRefId=1697078#imgXR |work=WCBS Newsradio 880 |date=February 17, 2010 |access-date=May 16, 2010 }}{{dead link|date=June 2016|bot=medic}}{{cbignore|bot=medic}}</ref> By March 25, the entire upper deck was taken down.

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. Demolition of the original Yankee Stadium was completed on May 13, 2010.<ref>{{cite news |title=Photos: All Structures Gone at Site of Old Yankee Stadium |first=Tom |last=Kaminski |url=http://www.wcbs880.com/pages/7049159.php |work=WCBS Newsradio 880 |date=May 13, 2010 |access-date=May 16, 2010 |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20100516214438/http://www.wcbs880.com/pages/7049159.php |archive-date=May 16, 2010 |df=mdy-all }}</ref><ref name="nationalgeographic">{{cite web|url=http://video.nationalgeographic.com/video/news/150403-yankee-stadium-demolition-vin|title=See Yankee Stadium Vanish in 30 Seconds|date=April 4, 2015|publisher=video.nationalgeographic.com|access-date=September 17, 2015|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20150906060024/http://video.nationalgeographic.com/video/news/150403-yankee-stadium-demolition-vin|archive-date=September 6, 2015|url-status=dead}}</ref>

A {{convert|10|acre|m2|adj=on}} park complex called Heritage Field was constructed on the old stadium site, accounting for 40% of the original parkland that is now occupied by the new Stadium.<ref name="nycgovparks.org"/> The groundbreaking ceremony for Heritage Field took place on June 29, 2010.<ref>{{cite news |title=Groundbreaking Held For Field At Original Yankee Stadium |url=http://bronx.ny1.com/content/top_stories/121262/groundbreaking-held-for-field-at-original-yankee-stadium |work=NY1 |date=June 29, 2010 |access-date=June 29, 2010 |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20110714220130/http://bronx.ny1.com/content/top_stories/121262/groundbreaking-held-for-field-at-original-yankee-stadium |archive-date=July 14, 2011 |df=mdy-all }}</ref> Heritage Field was officially opened in April 2012.<ref>{{cite news |title=A Public Park to Rival the Yankees' Playground |first=Winnie |last=Hu |url=https://www.nytimes.com/2012/04/06/nyregion/heritage-field-opens-near-yankee-stadium.html |work=The New York Times |date=April 5, 2012 |access-date=April 8, 2012}}</ref> At its opening, a blue outline showing the location of the original Yankee Stadium diamond was interwoven into the grass, showing that second base on the new field is at the approximate location of home plate of the original diamond.<ref>{{cite news|title=Yankee Stadium Opening Day 2012 – Photo Galleries |url=http://newyork.cbslocal.com/photo-galleries/2012/04/13/yankee-stadium-opening-day-2012/#photo-415414 |work=CBS New York |date=April 13, 2012 |access-date=April 9, 2013}}</ref>

==Features==
{{more citations needed section|date = April 2013}}

===Design===
[[File:Yankee Stadium satellite view.png|thumb|right|An aerial view of Yankee Stadium shows the asymmetrical shape of the venue.]]
Yankee Stadium was the first three-tiered sports facility in the United States and one of the first baseball venues to be given the lasting title of ''stadium''. The word ''stadium'' deliberately evoked ancient Greece, where a ''[[Stadion (unit)|stade]]'' was a unit of measure—the length of a footrace; the buildings that housed these footraces were called ''stadia''. Yankee Stadium was one of the first to be designed with the intent to be a multi-purpose facility. The field was initially surrounded by a (misshapen) {{Convert|0.25|mi|km|adj=on}} running track, which effectively also served as a [[warning track]] for outfielders, a feature now standard on all major league fields. The left and right field bleacher sections were laid out roughly at a right angle to the third base stands, to be properly positioned for both track-and-field events and football. The large electronic scoreboard in right-center field, featuring both teams' lineups and scores of other baseball games, was the first of its kind.

As Yankee Stadium owed its creation largely to Ruth, its design partially accommodated the game's left-handed-hitting slugger. Initially the fence was {{convert|295|ft|m}} from home plate down the right-field line, referred to as the "short porch" and {{convert|350|ft|m}} to near right field, compared with {{convert|490|ft|m}} to the deepest part of center field, nicknamed "Death Valley". The right-field bleachers were appropriately nicknamed "Ruthville". Although the right field fences were eventually pushed back after the 1974–1975 renovations, they were still relatively close to home plate and retained the "short porch" moniker, favoring future Yankee lefty sluggers such as [[Graig Nettles]] and [[Reggie Jackson]]. There is an urban legend that the stadium's field level was several feet below sea level, but that is easily disproven by observing how much higher the stadium site was (and is) than the level of the nearby [[Harlem River]]. The altitude of the old ballpark's site is {{convert|39|ft}} above sea level.{{Citation needed|date=December 2017}}

===Monument Park===
[[File:Yankee Stadium Monument Park 2008.jpg|thumb|right|Monument Park featured monuments and plaques dedicated to Yankee greats.]]
{{main|Monument Park (Yankee Stadium)}}
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. It was located beyond the left-center field fences, near the bullpens.

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. Over the years, the Yankees continued to honor players and personnel with additional monuments and plaques. After the 1974–1975 renovations of Yankee Stadium, the outfield fence was moved in, enclosing the monuments and plaques on the old fence and creating "Monument Park". A visual collection of retired numbers was soon added to this location. Monument Park remained there until the stadium's closing in 2008; after the [[Yankee Stadium|new Yankee Stadium]] opened, the retired numbers, plaques, and monuments were moved into a new Monument Park in the new ballpark.

===Façade===
[[File:TheFacade.jpg|thumb|left|200px|The façade over the wall behind the bleachers]]
One of the most distinguishing characteristics of Yankee Stadium was the [[facade|façade]], which consisted of a copper [[frieze]] that originally ran along the front of the roof of the triple-decked grandstand. The copper frieze developed a green [[patina]] over time until it was painted white during the 1960s. After the 1970s renovation, it ran a shorter distance, restricted to the top of the bleacher billboards and scoreboard.<ref name="nytimes-2009-04">{{cite news |last1=Sandomir |first1=Richard |title=A Distinctive Façade Is Recreated at New Yankee Stadium |url=https://www.nytimes.com/2009/04/15/sports/baseball/15facade.html |access-date=June 16, 2022 |work=The New York Times |date=April 15, 2009}}</ref>

Until the September 30, 1973 – April 14, 1976 renovation, the Yankees' American League championship pennants hung from the frieze. Tony Morante, who was in charge of tours at the Stadium, found most of these pennants in a box in 2004 and brought them to team executives to have them restored for display at the new Stadium.<ref name="nypost-2008-07">{{cite news |last1=Kernan |first1=Kevin |title=HIDDEN TREASURES OF 161ST AND RIVER |url=https://nypost.com/2008/07/14/hidden-treasures-of-161st-and-river/ |access-date=June 16, 2022 |work=New York Post |date=July 14, 2008}}</ref>

The [[YES Network]] uses the frieze in its graphics. It was incorporated into the logo for the [[2008 Major League Baseball All-Star Game|2008 All-Star Game]] held at the Stadium. It is also used around the main grandstand at [[George M. Steinbrenner Field|the team's spring training facility]], which has the post-reconstruction dimensions.

===Outfield dimensions===
During its 87-year existence, Yankee Stadium's dimensions were changed several times. The many photographs taken throughout the stadium's history serve as references, especially as the Yankees were among the first to post distance markers on the outfield walls, doing so beginning in 1928.

In its 1923 incarnation, the right and left field foul lines hit the box seat railings at a distance of only about 257 feet from home plate.<ref>{{cite news|url=https://www.newspapers.com/clip/34944955/|title=Can He Swat 'Em in New Park as He Swatted in Old?|date=February 4, 1923|work=New York Daily News|access-date=August 15, 2019|page=84|via=newspapers.com {{open access}}}}</ref> This did not pose too much of a problem for pitchers, as the seating angled away sharply, especially in left field. The right field corner was a problem for the outfielders, as its construction tended to make a bounding fair ball take an unpredictable carom. This problem, dubbed the "bloody angle" by the players, was solved prior to the 1924 season by moving the infield some ten feet toward center and rotating it slightly. That resulted in a new left field distance of {{convert|281|ft|1|in}}, and a new right field of {{convert|294|ft|6|in}} (eventually posted as 295).<ref>{{cite news|url=https://www.newspapers.com/clip/34944913/|title=Longer Right Field at Yankee Stadium Blow to Babe Ruth|date=February 9, 1924|work=The Buffalo Commercial|access-date=August 14, 2019|page=8|via=newspapers.com {{open access}}}}</ref>

By 1928 some of the box seats had been chiseled away in the left field corner, allowing a somewhat longer foul line distance of {{convert|301|ft}}. The seating curved away sharply and the far corner of the lower left stand was {{convert|402|ft}} away. The large wooden bleachers remained well out of reach to most batters hitting toward left and center fields. In 1928 the deep left-center field corner was marked as {{convert|490|ft}}, with the deep right-center field corner 429. The "straightaway" right field distance (at an exit gate) was marked 350 and the right field foul line 295. The right field area would remain the only hitter-friendly portion of the outfield before its 1970s remodeling.

When the wooden bleachers were replaced by a concrete structure in the 1930s, its left corner (now aligned with the main stand) was marked as {{convert|415|ft}}. Deep left center shrank to a mere {{convert|461|ft}}, behind the flagpole. As the monuments began to accumulate, the 461 sign was moved a few feet to the right. The deep right-center corner was 407, the right corner of the bleacher area was 367, and the right field line 296, with a 344 sign about halfway between them. A 457 sign was eventually added to left-center's "Death Valley", between the 402/415 pair and the 461.

The 415 sign in deep left field appears in clips of [[Al Gionfriddo]]'s catch of [[Joe DiMaggio]]'s long drive in the [[1947 World Series]]. That sign, and its 367 counterpart in right field, were both covered by auxiliary scoreboards during the 1949 season. Those boards displayed the current game inning-by-inning along with runs-hits-errors.

When the stadium reopened in 1976, the distance in straight-away center field was {{convert|417|ft|m}}. The deepest part of the outfield was in left center at {{convert|430|ft|m}}. The most recent field dimensions were reached primarily by moving the Yankee bullpen to left-center from right and making a few other changes so as to bring the left-center field wall in. The 1973-era left-center field wall locations could still be seen in 1976, as this is where the outfield bleacher seats began.

The following is a partial list of the stadium's dimensions throughout the years:<ref>Lowry, Phil. ''Green Cathedrals''.</ref><ref>Durso, Joseph. ''Yankee Stadium: Fifty Years of Drama''.</ref><ref>Robinson, Ray and Christopher Jennison. ''Yankee Stadium: 75 Years of Drama, Glamour and Glory''.</ref>

{| class="wikitable sortable" size="100%;" style="font-style:bold; border:3px;"
|-  style="text-align:center"
! style="background:#132448;color:#FFFFFF;|Year
! style="background:#132448;color:#FFFFFF;|Left Field<br>Line
! style="background:#132448;color:#FFFFFF;|Straightaway<br>Left Field
! style="background:#132448;color:#FFFFFF;|Left Center
! style="background:#132448;color:#FFFFFF;|Deepest<br>Center Field
! style="background:#132448;color:#FFFFFF;|Right Center
! style="background:#132448;color:#FFFFFF;|Straightaway<br>Right Field
! style="background:#132448;color:#FFFFFF;|Right Field<br>Line
! style="background:#132448;color:#FFFFFF;|Backstop
|- style="text-align:center;"
!1923
| {{convert|257|ft|m|abbr=on}}
|?
|?
| {{convert|498|ft|m|abbr=on}}
|?
|?
| {{convert|257.5|ft|m|abbr=on}}
|?
|- style="text-align:center;"
!1924
| {{convert|281|ft|m|abbr=on}}
|{{convert|395|ft|m|abbr=on}}
|{{convert|460|ft|m|abbr=on}}
| {{convert|490|ft|m|abbr=on}}
|{{convert|429|ft|m|abbr=on}}
|{{convert|350|ft|m|abbr=on}}
| {{convert|295|ft|m|abbr=on}}
|{{convert|82|ft|m|abbr=on}}
|- style="text-align:center;"
!1937
| {{convert|301|ft|m|abbr=on}}
|{{convert|402|ft|m|abbr=on}} /<br> {{convert|415|ft|m|abbr=on}}.
|{{convert|457|ft|m|abbr=on}}
| {{convert|461|ft|m|abbr=on}}
|{{convert|407|ft|m|abbr=on}}
|{{convert|367|ft|m|abbr=on}} /<br> {{convert|344|ft|m|abbr=on}}.
| {{convert|296|ft|m|abbr=on}}
|{{convert|82|ft|m|abbr=on}}
|- style="text-align:center;"
!1976
| {{convert|312|ft|m|abbr=on}}
|{{convert|387|ft|m|abbr=on}}
|{{convert|430|ft|m|abbr=on}}
| {{convert|417|ft|m|abbr=on}}
|{{convert|385|ft|m|abbr=on}}
|{{convert|353|ft|m|abbr=on}}
| {{convert|310|ft|m|abbr=on}}
|{{convert|84|ft|m|abbr=on}}
|- style="text-align:center;"
!1985
| {{convert|312|ft|m|abbr=on}}
|{{convert|379|ft|m|abbr=on}}
|{{convert|411|ft|m|abbr=on}}
| {{convert|410|ft|m|abbr=on}}
|{{convert|385|ft|m|abbr=on}}
|{{convert|353|ft|m|abbr=on}}
| {{convert|310|ft|m|abbr=on}}
|{{convert|84|ft|m|abbr=on}}
|- style="text-align:center;"
!1988
| {{convert|318|ft|m|abbr=on}}
|{{convert|379|ft|m|abbr=on}}
|{{convert|399|ft|m|abbr=on}}
| {{convert|408|ft|m|abbr=on}}
|{{convert|385|ft|m|abbr=on}}
|{{convert|353|ft|m|abbr=on}}
| {{convert|314|ft|m|abbr=on}}
|{{convert|82|ft|m|abbr=on}}
|}

After a mid-1960s remodeling, the 461 marker<ref name="ggpht">{{cite web|url=http://lh6.ggpht.com/_Q_Zerpnj63I/ShCwgpSDo_I/AAAAAAAAGHk/KEXqA7glZyQ/s800/c.jpg|title=Image: c.jpg, (800 × 519 px)|publisher=lh6.ggpht.com|access-date=September 17, 2015}}</ref> was replaced by a 463 marker slightly farther to the left of the pair of double doors<ref name="thejoekorner">{{cite web|url=http://www.thejoekorner.com/yankee-stadium/ys-73-08.jpg|title=Image: ys-73-08.jpg|publisher=thejoekorner.com|access-date=September 17, 2015}}</ref> and a 433 marker was added between the 463 and 407 markers<ref name="thejoekorner2">{{cite web|url=http://www.thejoekorner.com/yankee-stadium/ys-73-02.jpg|title=Image: ys-73-02.jpg|publisher=thejoekorner.com|access-date=September 17, 2015}}</ref> ostensibly to represent true straightaway center field (being roughly at the midpoint of the batter's-eye screen).

==Legacy, traditions and mainstays==

===Bob Sheppard===
From 1951 through 2007, [[Bob Sheppard]] was the public address announcer at Yankee Stadium. 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. Before a player's first at-bat of the game, Sheppard announced his position, his uniform number, his name, and his uniform number again. Example: "Now batting for the Yankees, the shortstop, number 2, Derek Jeter, Number 2." For each following at-bat, Sheppard announced just the position and name: "The shortstop, Derek Jeter." Due to health reasons, 96-year-old Sheppard announced his last game on September 5, 2007.<ref>[http://newyork.yankees.mlb.com/schedule/index.jsp?c_id=nyy&m=9&y=2007 Yankees 2007 Schedule] {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20080527021109/http://newyork.yankees.mlb.com/schedule/index.jsp?c_id=nyy&m=9&y=2007 |date=May 27, 2008 }} Retrieved July 20, 2010.</ref> He did sign a new two-year contract with the Yankees in March 2008 but lacked the strength necessary to do the job and missed the entire 2008 season,<ref name="nyt-2010-07-11">{{cite news |title=Bob Sheppard, Voice of the Yankees, Dies at 99|first=Richard|last=Goldstein|url=https://www.nytimes.com/2010/07/12/sports/baseball/12sheppard.html|newspaper=[[The New York Times]]|date=July 11, 2010|access-date=July 27, 2010}}</ref> including the [[2008 Major League Baseball All-Star Game|2008 All-Star Game]],<ref>{{cite news |title=Bob Sheppard Not Able to Be at All-Star Game|first=Steve|last=Politi|url=http://www.nj.com/yankees/index.ssf/2008/07/bob_sheppard_not_able_to_be_at.html|newspaper=[[The Star-Ledger]]|location=Newark|date=July 9, 2008|access-date=July 27, 2010}}</ref> which was played at Yankee Stadium. He could not announce the final game at the old stadium in September 2008, but recorded a video address that was played during the pregame ceremonies and also recorded the lineups for the game. He officially announced his retirement after the 2009 season.<ref>{{cite news|title=Sheppard Gives Thanks for Place in History|first=Bryan|last=Hoch|url=http://newyork.yankees.mlb.com/news/article.jsp?ymd=20091125&content_id=7717078&vkey=news_mlb&fext=.jsp&c_id=nyy|publisher=[[Major League Baseball Advanced Media]]|date=November 26, 2009|access-date=July 27, 2010|archive-date=November 29, 2009|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20091129124400/http://newyork.yankees.mlb.com/news/article.jsp?ymd=20091125&content_id=7717078&vkey=news_mlb&fext=.jsp&c_id=nyy|url-status=dead}}</ref> Sheppard died in July 2010.<ref name="nyt-2010-07-11"/>

===Hammond Organ===
The [[Hammond Organ]] was installed at Yankee Stadium in 1967 and was primarily played by [[Eddie Layton]] from its introduction until his retirement after the 2003 season. The playing of the organ has added to the character of the stadium for many years, playing before games, introducing players, during the national anthem and the rendition of "[[Take me out to the ball game]]" during the [[seventh-inning stretch]]. After Layton's retirement, he got to pick his replacement, Paul Cartier.<ref>[http://ultimateyankees.com/eddielaytonbiography.htm Yankee Player Photo Template] {{webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20060831132352/http://www.ultimateyankees.com/eddielaytonbiography.htm |date=August 31, 2006 }}</ref> In recent years, the use of the organ has been decreased in favor of recorded music between innings and introducing players. Since the 2004 season, the national anthem has rarely been performed by the organists, opting for military recordings of the Star Spangled Banner. In 2005, a new Hammond Elegante was installed replacing the original Hammond Colonnade.

===Music===
One of the most famous traditions for Yankee Stadium was playing [[Frank Sinatra]]'s version of the "[[Theme from New York, New York]]" over the loudspeakers after every home win, since 1980. Sinatra's version was played after Yankees wins, whereas [[Liza Minnelli]]'s was played after Yankee losses.

After the [[September 11 attacks]], all American Major League Baseball stadiums started playing "[[God Bless America]]" during the [[seventh-inning stretch]] for the remainder of the 2001 season. Many teams ceased this practice the following season, although it has continued in postseason events at many cities and become a tradition at Yankee Stadium alongside '"Take Me Out to the Ballgame". Usually, a recording of "God Bless America" by [[Kate Smith]] was played, although sometimes there was a live performance by Irish tenor [[Ronan Tynan]]. For part of the 2005 season, the Yankees used a recording of Tynan, but the Smith version was reinstated due to fan complaints about the long duration of the Tynan version. The tradition of playing Smith's version continued in the new stadium until April 2019, when accusations surfaced that some of her other songs contained racist lyrics. For the final game at Yankee Stadium, Tynan performed "God Bless America" live, including the rarely heard introduction to the song (which Tynan included every time he performed the song at a Yankees game). Currently, "God Bless America" is played on the organ at the new stadium during the seventh-inning stretch.

When the Yankees scored a run, a version of the [[Westminster chime]] played as the last player to score in the at-bat gets to home plate. The version of the chime is the beginning of "Workaholic" by the music group [[2 Unlimited]]. When the Yankees' closer [[Mariano Rivera]] entered a game, he was accompanied by [[Metallica]]'s "[[Enter Sandman]]". Since {{wsy|1996}}, the Yankees' World Series championships were celebrated with the playing of [[Queen (band)|Queen]]'s "[[We Are the Champions]]" followed by Frank Sinatra's "New York, New York".

===Meeting at "the bat"===
[[File:TheSlugger.jpg|thumb|150px|The Louisville Slugger-shaped exhaust pipe]]
Outside the stadium's main entrance gate stands a {{convert|138|ft|m|adj=on}} tall exhaust pipe in the shape of a baseball bat, complete with tape at the handle that frays off at the end. It is sponsored by [[Hillerich & Bradsby]], makers of the famous [[Louisville Slugger]] line of baseball bats, which is specifically designed to look like a Babe Ruth model. As the most prominent feature on the stadium's exterior, recognizable even to first-time visitors, the bat was often used as a designated meeting spot for fans to meet their ticket holding friends before entering the stadium.

The "Bat" continues to stand outside the [[Yankees–East 153rd Street (Metro-North station)|Metro North Station]], built in 2009. A {{convert|450|foot|adj=on}} long pedestrian walkway and its staircase meet at the "bat".<ref>{{cite news |title=Metro-North to start service direct to Yankee Stadium |url=http://www.nhregister.com/articles/2009/04/03/news/a1-yankeestation.txt |newspaper=New Haven Register |date=April 3, 2009 |access-date=July 27, 2011 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20120926133727/http://www.nhregister.com/articles/2009/04/03/news/a1-yankeestation.txt |archive-date=September 26, 2012 |url-status=dead |df=mdy-all }}</ref>

===Roll call===
{{main|Bleacher Creatures}}
Beginning in the 1990s and after the first pitch was thrown at the top of the first inning, the "[[Bleacher Creatures]]" in Section 39, usually led by a man nicknamed Bald Vinny, began chanting the names of every player in the defensive lineup (except the pitcher and catcher, with some rare exceptions), starting with the center fielder. They did not stop chanting the player's name until he acknowledged the Creatures (usually with a wave or a point), who then moved on to the next player. Other names called out during roll call from time to time have included Yankee broadcasters [[John Sterling (sportscaster)|John Sterling]] and [[Michael Kay (announcer)|Michael Kay]] or [[Aaron Boone]], [[Bucky Dent]] and Babe Ruth when the Yankees hosted the rival Boston Red Sox. Sometimes, after a long rain delay, the Creatures started another Roll Call for comedic effect. Often when a player was replaced in the field, their replacement was also welcomed with a chant. In 2008, center fielder [[Melky Cabrera]] booted a routine grounder while attempting to wave to the fans.

==Stadium usage==
{{see also|List of events at Yankee Stadium (1923)}}

===Baseball===
In its 86 years of existence, Yankee Stadium hosted 6,581 regular season home games for the Yankees. Only [[Fenway Park]] (Boston), [[Wrigley Field]] (Chicago), [[Sportsman's Park]] (St. Louis), and [[Tiger Stadium (Detroit)|Tiger Stadium]] (Detroit) have hosted more games. Due to the Yankees' frequent appearances in the [[World Series]], Yankee Stadium played host to 161 postseason games, more than any other stadium in baseball history. The Stadium hosted 37 of the 83 possible World Series during its existence (not counting 1974–75, and the [[1994–95 Major League Baseball strike|1994 strike]]), with the Yankees winning 26 of them. In total, the venue hosted 100 World Series games.

16 of the 17 World Series won in the Bronx were clinched at the 1923 Yankee Stadium, nine by the Yankees and seven by their opponents:
*Yankees, in {{wsy|1927}}, {{wsy|1938}}, {{wsy|1947}}, {{wsy|1950}}, {{wsy|1951}}, {{wsy|1953}}, {{wsy|1977}}, {{wsy|1996}} and {{wsy|1999}}
*[[St. Louis Cardinals]], in {{wsy|1926}} and {{wsy|1942}}
*[[1955 Brooklyn Dodgers season|Brooklyn Dodgers]], in {{wsy|1955}}, the only World Championship won by the Dodgers before moving to Los Angeles.
*[[1957 Milwaukee Braves season|Milwaukee Braves]], in {{wsy|1957}}, the only World Series won by a [[Milwaukee]] team.
*[[1978 Cincinnati Reds season|Cincinnati Reds]], in {{wsy|1976}}
*[[1981 Los Angeles Dodgers season|Los Angeles Dodgers]], in {{wsy|1981}}
*[[2003 Florida Marlins season|Florida Marlins]], in {{wsy|2003}}

The Yankees won their first 26 World Series championships while playing in Yankee Stadium, with their 27th coming in the first year of playing at its namesake replacement ({{wsy|2009}}).

Perhaps the most memorable moment in the venue's history came on July 4, 1939, designated as "[[Lou Gehrig Appreciation Day]]". [[Lou Gehrig|Gehrig]], forced out of action permanently by [[amyotrophic lateral sclerosis]] (ALS) and facing his impending death, gave a legendary farewell speech thanking his fans and colleagues for making him "the luckiest man on the face of the earth".<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.americanrhetoric.com/speeches/lougehrigfarewelltobaseball.htm|title=American Rhetoric|access-date=May 24, 2009}}</ref>

Many memorable and historic games have been played at Yankee Stadium. Three out of the four [[Perfect game (baseball)|perfect games]] thrown by Yankee pitchers have occurred at the Stadium. [[Don Larsen]] threw a perfect game on October 8, 1956, in the fifth game of the [[1956 World Series|World Series]], while [[David Wells]] and [[David Cone]] threw theirs on May 17, 1998, and July 18, 1999, respectively.  ([[Domingo Germán]] threw his June 28, 2023 perfect game in Oakland.) [[No-hitter]]s were thrown by [[Monte Pearson]], [[Bob Feller]], [[Allie Reynolds]], [[Virgil Trucks]], [[Dave Righetti]], [[Jim Abbott]], [[Dwight Gooden]] and a combination of six [[Houston Astros]] pitchers in one game.<ref>{{cite web |url=http://www.baseball-almanac.com/pitching/pinohit1.shtml |title=American League No Hitters by Baseball Almanac |publisher=Baseball Almanac |access-date=September 22, 2008 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20080804010225/http://www.baseball-almanac.com/pitching/pinohit1.shtml |archive-date=August 4, 2008 |url-status=dead }}</ref>

The Stadium was the site of a nationally televised game on August 6, 1979, the same day as the funeral for departed Yankees captain [[Thurman Munson]]. The team attended the funeral in [[Canton, Ohio]] earlier in the day and flew to New York for an emotional game. [[Bobby Murcer]] drove in all five runs for the Yankees, including a game winning two-run single that defeated the [[Baltimore Orioles]] 5–4.

Many historic home runs have been hit at Yankee Stadium. Babe Ruth hit the ballpark's first home run on its Opening Day in 1923.<ref>[http://www.famoussportspeople.com/babe-ruth Babe Ruth] {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20160504081151/http://www.famoussportspeople.com/babe-ruth/ |date=May 4, 2016 }} Famous Sports People</ref> Ruth also set the then-league record for most home runs in a single season by hitting his 60th home run in 1927. [[Roger Maris]] would later break this record in 1961 at Yankee Stadium on the final day of the season by hitting his 61st home run. In 1967, [[Mickey Mantle]] slugged his 500th career home run. [[Chris Chambliss]] won the [[1976 American League Championship Series|1976 ALCS]] by hitting a "walk-off" home run in which thousands of fans ran onto the field as Chambliss circled the bases. A year later, in the [[1977 World Series]], [[Reggie Jackson]] hit three home runs on three consecutive pitches in the championship-clinching Game 6. In 1983, the [[Pine Tar Incident]] involving [[George Brett]] occurred; Brett's go-ahead home run in the ninth inning of the game was overturned for his bat having too much pine tar, resulting in him furiously charging out of the dugout. In Game 1 of the [[1996 American League Championship Series|1996 ALCS]], [[Derek Jeter]] hit a fly ball to right-field that was interfered with by fan [[Jeffrey Maier]] but ruled a home run. In Game 7 of the [[2003 American League Championship Series|2003 ALCS]], [[Aaron Boone]] hit an extra-inning "walk-off" home run to send the Yankees to the World Series. The Red Sox would get revenge coming back from [[2004 American League Championship Series|3-0]] and beating their rivals in Yankee Stadium the following year. On August 6, 2007, Alex Rodriguez hit his 500th home run against the [[2007 Kansas City Royals season|Kansas City Royals]] at the Stadium. [[José Molina (baseball)|José Molina]] hit the ballpark's last home run in its final game on September 21, 2008.<ref>{{Cite web|url=http://web.yesnetwork.com/news/article.jsp?ymd=20150921&content_id=150814866&fext=.jsp&vkey=news_milb|title=Eight memorable moments from the final season at Old Yankee Stadium in 2008|website=yesnetwork.com|language=en|access-date=2020-01-31}}{{Dead link|date=April 2020 |bot=InternetArchiveBot |fix-attempted=yes }}</ref>

In 2001, six weeks after the [[September 11 attacks]], Yankee Stadium hosted an emotional three games in the [[2001 World Series|World Series]]. For Game 3, President [[George W. Bush]] hurled the ceremonial first pitch, throwing a strike. In Game 4, [[Tino Martinez]] hit a game-tying home run off [[2001 Arizona Diamondbacks season|Arizona Diamondbacks]] closer [[Byung-hyun Kim]] with two outs in the ninth inning. Derek Jeter hit the winning "walk-off" home run in extra innings off Kim, earning himself the nickname "Mr. November". The following night in Game 5, the Yankees replicated their heroics from the previous night; [[Scott Brosius]] hit a game-tying home run off Kim with two outs in the bottom of the ninth inning en route to a win.

====All-Star Games====
On July 11, 1939, Major League Baseball held its [[1939 Major League Baseball All-Star Game|seventh]] [[Major League Baseball All-Star Game|All-Star Game]] at Yankee Stadium, in concert with the [[1939 New York World's Fair|World's Fair]] being held at [[Flushing Meadows-Corona Park|Flushing-Meadows]] in Queens. Yankees manager [[Joe McCarthy (manager)|Joe McCarthy]] loaded his American League team with pinstripes: [[Bill Dickey]] (catcher), [[Joe DiMaggio]] (outfield), [[Joe Gordon]] (second base), [[Red Rolfe]] (third base), [[George Selkirk]] (outfield) and [[Red Ruffing]] (pitcher) were all in the starting lineup. Reserve players included [[Frank Crosetti]] (shortstop), [[Lou Gehrig]] (first base), [[Lefty Gomez]] (pitcher) and [[Johnny Murphy]] (pitcher). The American League won, 3–1, behind a home run by DiMaggio, in front of more than 62,000. This was the second All-Star Game held in New York; the Polo Grounds had hosted the event in [[1934 Major League Baseball All-Star Game|1934]].

From 1959 to 1962, Major League Baseball held two All-Star Games each year. On July 13, 1960, Yankee Stadium hosted baseball's [[1960 Major League Baseball All-Star Game (second game)|second All-Star Game]] in three days. The National League won both games. In the latter game, [[Whitey Ford]] was the starting pitcher. [[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. The National League won the Yankee Stadium game, 6–0, tying a record with four home runs, including one by hometown favorite [[Willie Mays]]. The 38,000 fans who attended the game also saw the Red Sox' [[Ted Williams]] in his final All-Star appearance.

Showcasing its new renovation, Yankee Stadium hosted the [[1977 Major League Baseball All-Star Game|All-Star Game]] on July 19, 1977. With the Yankees defending their 1976 pennant, [[Billy Martin]] managed the American League team on his home field. The National League won its sixth consecutive All-Star Game, 7–5, in front of more than 56,000 fans; the senior circuit's streak would reach 11. 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. [[Jim Palmer]] was the game's starting pitcher because [[Nolan Ryan]] refused to play when Martin asked him.

In honor of its final year of existence, in July 2008, Yankee Stadium hosted [[2008 Major League Baseball All-Star Game|2008 All-Star Game]] festivities. The Yankees were represented by [[Derek Jeter]], [[Alex Rodriguez]] and [[Mariano Rivera]]. In the [[2008 Major League Baseball Home Run Derby|Home Run Derby]], [[Josh Hamilton]] set a single-round record with 28 home runs in the first round. 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. [[Minnesota Twins]] first baseman [[Justin Morneau]] won the competition defeating Hamilton in the final round. The following evening, the American League won the 2008 All-Star Game 4–3 in 15 innings. [[Michael Young (baseball)|Michael Young]] hit the game winning sacrifice fly in the 15th inning off [[Brad Lidge]]. The game was the longest in All-Star Game history by time, lasting 4 hours and 50 minutes and tied for the longest in history by innings, tied with the [[1967 Major League Baseball All-Star Game|1967 All-Star Game]] and was played in front of 55,632 people. [[J. D. Drew]] was named game MVP going 2 for 4 with a home run and two RBIs.

====Final game, 2008====
[[File:Final Yankees Game.jpg|thumb|right|Yankee Stadium after the last game was played on September 21, 2008.]]
Yankee Stadium hosted its final baseball game on September 21, 2008. The ceremonies for the final game at Yankee Stadium began with the opening of Monument Park, as well as allowing Yankee fans to walk on the warning track around the field. Many former Yankee greats, including [[Yogi Berra]], [[Whitey Ford]], [[Reggie Jackson]], [[Bernie Williams]], [[Paul O'Neill (baseball)|Paul O'Neill]], [[Willie Randolph]], [[Roy White]] and [[Chris Chambliss]] took their positions in the playing field as their names were announced by the legendary Bob Sheppard. [[Julia Ruth Stevens]], daughter of Babe Ruth, threw out the ceremonial first pitch in the final game in "The House That Ruth Built".

With [[Andy Pettitte]] as the starting pitcher, the Yankees played their final game at Yankee Stadium against the [[2008 Baltimore Orioles season|Baltimore Orioles]], recording the final out at 11:43&nbsp;pm EDT in a 7–3 Yankee victory. Among many lasts to be recorded, a long-time standing question was answered. It was first wondered by Babe Ruth after he hit the first home run in Yankee Stadium on its opening day of April 18, 1923:
{{blockquote|I was glad to have hit the first home run in this park. God only knows who will hit the last.}}

That player turned out to be Yankees backup catcher [[José Molina (baseball)|José Molina]], as he hit a go-ahead and eventual game-winning two-run home run in the fourth inning.<ref name="baseball-reference">{{cite web|url=https://www.baseball-reference.com/m/molinjo01.shtml |title=Jose Molina Statistics and History &#124; Baseball-Reference.com |publisher=baseball-reference.com|access-date=September 17, 2015}}</ref>

Other lasts were [[Jason Giambi]] recording the last hit in Yankee Stadium, driving in [[Brett Gardner]], who scored the last run in Yankee Stadium. Mariano Rivera made the final pitch in the stadium with [[Cody Ransom]] recording the final out at first base. In the eighth inning, Derek Jeter became the final Yankee to bat in Yankee Stadium.

After the game was over, captain Derek Jeter delivered a speech on the field surrounded by his teammates. In the unplanned speech, Jeter thanked and saluted the fans:
{{blockquote|For all of us up here, it's a huge honor to put this uniform on every day and come out here and play. And every member of this organization, past and present, has been calling this place home for eighty-five years. There's a lot of tradition, a lot of history, and a lot of memories.

Now the great thing about memories is you're able to pass it along from generation to generation. And although things are going to change next year, we're going to move across the street, there are a few things with the New York Yankees that never change— its pride, its tradition, and most of all, we have the [[Yankee Universe|greatest fans]] in the world.

And we are relying on you to take the memories from this stadium, add them to the new memories that come at the new Yankee Stadium, and continue to pass them on from generation to generation. So on behalf of the entire organization, we just want to take this moment to salute you, the greatest fans in the world.}}

Afterwards, the team circled the stadium on the warning track waving to fans and wishing the stadium goodbye.

;Line score<ref>{{cite web|title=Baltimore vs. NY Yankees–September 21, 2008 |url=http://mlb.mlb.com/mlb/gameday/y2009/index.jsp?gid=2008_09_21_balmlb_nyamlb_1&mode=gameday|access-date=December 12, 2010|publisher=MLB.com: Gameday}}</ref>
{{Linescore|
|Road=Baltimore|RoadAbr=BAL
|R1=0|R2=1|R3=1|R4=1|R5=0|R6=0|R7=0|R8=0|R9=0|RR=3|RH=7|RE=1
|Home='''New York'''|HomeAbr=NYY
|H1=0|H2=0|H3=3|H4=2|H5=0|H6=0|H7=2|H8=0|H9=X|HR=7|HH=9|HE=1
|RSP=|HSP=
|WP=[[Andy Pettitte]] (14–14)|LP=[[Chris Waters (baseball)|Chris Waters]] (3–4)
|RoadHR=|HomeHR=[[Johnny Damon]] (16), [[José Molina (baseball)|Jose Molina]] (3)
|}}

====Collegiate baseball====
From 1970 to 1987, the [[Cape Cod Baseball League]] (CCBL) played its annual all-star game at various major league stadiums. The games were interleague contests between the CCBL and the [[Atlantic Collegiate Baseball League]] (ACBL). The 1970, 1973, 1976 and 1980 games were played at Yankee Stadium.<ref>{{cite web|author=Al Harvin |url=https://www.nytimes.com/1970/07/21/archives/cape-cod-tops-atlantic-collegians-63.html |title=Cape Cod Tops Atlantic Collegians, 6-3 |work=[[The New York Times]] |date=July 21, 1970 |access-date=August 16, 2019}}</ref><ref>{{cite web|author=Judy Walden Scarafile |url=https://www.wickedlocal.com/article/20080725/News/307259531 |title=When women were persona non grata at Yankee Stadium |publisher=wickedlocal.com |date=July 25, 2008 |access-date=August 16, 2019}}</ref><ref>{{cite web|url=http://capecodbaseball.org/news/asgnews/index.html?article_id=193 |title=Cape Cod Baseball League All-Star Game A look back at the past forty years |publisher=capecodbaseball.com |access-date=August 16, 2019}}</ref> The star of the 1973 contest was game MVP and future major league manager [[Jim Riggleman]]. The 1980 game starred future New York Mets all-star pitcher [[Ron Darling]] of [[Yale University]]. In the game, Darling singled, doubled and homered as the CCBL left fielder, then came on in the final inning to pitch in relief, preserving the CCBL's one-run victory.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://capecodbaseball.org/news/hofnews/?article_id=241 |title=Twelve Legends to be inducted into CCBL Hall of Fame |publisher=capecodbaseball.com |access-date=August 16, 2019}}</ref>

===Boxing===
{{unreferenced section|date = April 2013}}
[[File:Yankee Stadium setup for Joe Louis v Billy Conn.jpg|thumb|250px|Yankee Stadium being prepared for the boxing match between [[Joe Louis]] and [[Billy Conn]] in June 1946.]]
When Yankee Stadium opened in 1923, the Polo Grounds continued to host boxing matches; however, Yankee Stadium was home to prizefighting beginning in its first few months. Benny Leonard retained the lightweight championship in a 15-round decision over Lew Tendler on July 24, 1923, in front of more than 58,000 fans. It was the first of 30 championship bouts to be held at the Stadium. (This excludes dozens of non-title fights.) The boxing ring was placed over second base; a {{convert|15|ft|m|adj=on}} vault contained electrical, telegraph and telephone connections. In July 1927, the aging former heavyweight champion Jack Dempsey came from behind to defeat heavily favored Jack Sharkey by delivering several questionable punches that were deemed illegal. Sharkey had similarly bad luck in a July 1930 heavyweight championship bout at Yankee Stadium, when his knockout punch to [[Max Schmeling]] was ruled illegal; Schmeling won by default. In July 1928, [[Gene Tunney]] upheld the heavyweight title against [[Tom Heeney]] at Yankee Stadium, and then retired as champion.

Perhaps the most famous boxing match ever held at Yankee Stadium was on June 22, 1938, when [[Joe Louis]], an African-American, squared off against Schmeling, a German. [[Adolf Hitler]] followed the rematch carefully, imploring Schmeling to defeat Louis, whom Hitler publicly berated. This left some with what they perceived as a moral predicament: root for the black fighter, or for the Nazi. Schmeling had defeated Louis in 1936, but in defense of his title, Louis knocked out Schmeling in the first round. This was one of eight championship fights the "Brown Bomber" fought at Yankee Stadium.

On July 1, 1939, Max Baer defeated Lou Nova at Yankee Stadium, in the first [[televised]] boxing match in the United States. The event was broadcast by television station W2XBS, forerunner of [[WNBC-TV]]. (The World Series was not televised until 1947.) On September 27, 1946, [[Tony Zale]] knocked out New York native [[Rocky Graziano]] for the middleweight crown; it was the first of three bouts between Zale and Graziano.

On June 25, 1952, middleweight champion [[Sugar Ray Robinson]] sought his third title against light-heavyweight champ Joey Maxim at Yankee Stadium. More than 47,000 saw Robinson outfight Maxim but lose due to heat exhaustion in round 14 (due to the weather that topped {{convert|104|F|C}}). The referee who declared Maxim the winner was the second that night; the first had left the fight due to heat exhaustion.

On June 26, 1959, 5-1 Swedish underdog [[Ingemar Johansson]] defeated [[Floyd Patterson]] at the stadium by stoppage in the third round to become world heavyweight champion.

After its 1970s renovation, Yankee Stadium hosted only one championship fight. On September 28, 1976, a declining [[Muhammad Ali]] defended his heavyweight crown against [[Ken Norton]]. To that point, Norton was one of only two boxers who had beaten Ali (in 1973); this was their third and final, meeting. Norton led for most of the fight, but Ali improved in the later rounds to win by unanimous decision.

===College football===
{{more citations needed section|date = April 2013}}
[[File:The Kick-off, Georgia Tech vs. Penn State, 1925.jpg|thumb|350x350px|[[1925 Georgia Tech Golden Tornado football team|Georgia Tech]] vs. [[1925 Penn State Nittany Lions football team|Penn State]] at Yankee Stadium, 1925]]
The first [[college football]] game played in Yankee Stadium was a 3-0 [[Syracuse Orange football|Syracuse]] victory over [[Pittsburgh Panthers football|Pittsburgh]] on October 20, 1923.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.luckyshow.org/football/ys.htm|title=Football Games at Yankee Stadium|publisher=Lucky's Amazing Sports Lists|date=December 29, 2012|access-date=June 24, 2013}}</ref> When an ill Ruth could not lead the Yankees to the World Series in 1925, college football took center stage at Yankee Stadium that fall. The fiercely competitive [[Notre Dame Fighting Irish football|Notre Dame]]–[[Army Black Knights football|Army]] game moved to Yankee Stadium, where it remained until 1947. In the 1928 game, with the score 0–0 at halftime, legendary Notre Dame coach [[Knute Rockne]] gave his "win one for the Gipper" speech (with reference to All-American halfback [[George Gipp]], who died in 1920); Notre Dame went on to defeat Army, 12–6. The 1929 game between the two teams had the highest attendance in the series at 79,408.<ref>Notre Dame football media guide (PDF copy available at [http://und.cstv.com und.cstv.com] {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20090226023556/http://und.cstv.com/ |date=February 26, 2009 }})</ref> The [[1946 Army vs. Notre Dame football game]] at Yankee Stadium is regarded as one of the 20th century college football [[Game of the Century (college football)|Games of the Century]].<ref>{{cite book |last=Whittingham |first=Richard |title=Rites of autumn: the story of college football |year= 2001 |publisher=The Free Press |location=New York |isbn=0-7432-2219-9 |pages=148–183 |chapter=6 |quote=It was surely the game of the year, and many have said it was the college football game of the century }}
</ref>

Notre Dame played 24 games at Yankee Stadium, going 15–6–3. Army played 38, compiling a 17–17–4 record (including the best-attended game, on December 1, 1928, when Army lost to [[Stanford University|Stanford]] 26–0 before 86,000 fans). [[New York University]] played more games there than any other school, 96, using it as a secondary home field from 1923 to 1948, with a record of 52–40–4. Nearby [[Fordham University]] played 19 games there, going 13–5–1.

Eight college football games were played at Yankee Stadium on [[Thanksgiving (United States)|Thanksgiving Day]], the first seven by [[New York University]]. Perhaps, the most famous Thanksgiving Day game was the first. Oregon State Agricultural College (now [[Oregon State Beavers football|Oregon State]]) was the first West Coast team to travel across the country and play an East Coast team. 8–1 NYU was a 3–1 favorite to beat 5–3 OSAC, but Oregon State upset the hometown favorites 25–13. Will Rogers lamented what the "Oregon apple knockers" had done to his "city slickers" in a column after the game. After the 1928 game, NYU beat Carnegie Tech (now [[Carnegie Mellon University]]) in 1931 and 1932, defeated Fordham in 1936, lost to Carnegie Tech in 1929 and lost to Fordham in 1934 and 1935. In the eighth game, in 1963, Syracuse beat Notre Dame, 14–7. This was a rematch following the teams' controversial 1961 game won by Notre Dame, 17–15.

The [[Gotham Bowl]] was scheduled to premiere at Yankee Stadium in 1960, but was canceled when no opponent could be found for [[Oregon State University]]. The 1961 game was moved to the [[Polo Grounds]], and when just 6,166 people came to Yankee Stadium for the 1962 game, in which the [[University of Nebraska]] defeated the [[University of Miami]], 36–34, the Gotham Bowl was never played again. The Miami-Nebraska game remains the only college bowl ever played at the stadium.

[[File:1969 Notre Dame - Army football Yankee Stadium.jpg|thumb|[[Notre Dame Fighting Irish football|Notre Dame]] vs. [[Army Black Knights football|Army]] at Yankee Stadium, 1969.]]In 1969, Notre Dame and Army reprised their long series at the Stadium (1925–1946 except 1930) with one final game, which the Fighting Irish won, 45–0.<ref>{{Cite web|title=Chicago Tribune - Historical Newspapers|url=http://chicagotribune.newspapers.com/|access-date=2021-05-11|website=Chicago Tribune|language=en}}</ref>  It was the final game at the stadium for either team.

Starting in 1971, the Stadium hosted the [[Whitney M. Young]] [[Urban League]] Classic, a game between [[historically black college]]s, often featuring [[Grambling State University]] of [[Louisiana]], coached by [[Eddie Robinson (football coach)|Eddie Robinson]], the first college coach to win 400 games. The Classic helped to spread the fame of Grambling and other similar schools. Yankee Stadium hosted its final Classic during the 1987 season, also the last time a football game was played there. Grambling lost to [[Central State University]] of Ohio, 37–21.<ref name="mindspring">{{cite web|url=http://www.mindspring.com/~luckyshow/football/ys.htm|title=Football Games at Yankee Stadium (College and amateur, High School games omitted)|publisher=mindspring.com|access-date=September 17, 2015|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20120329071309/http://www.mindspring.com/~luckyshow/football/ys.htm|archive-date=March 29, 2012|url-status=dead}}</ref>

The Classic has been held at [[Giants Stadium]] and [[MetLife Stadium]] in [[New Jersey]]'s [[Meadowlands Sports Complex]] ever since, though the Yankees remain a supporter of the event.

====Games====
{| class="wikitable" align=center style="margin-left:15px; text-align:center; background:#ffffff;"
|-
!style="text-align:center; {{Baseball primary style|New York Yankees|border=2}};"|Date
!style="text-align:center; {{Baseball primary style|New York Yankees|border=2}};"|Winning Team
!style="text-align:center; {{Baseball primary style|New York Yankees|border=2}};"|Score
!style="text-align:center; {{Baseball primary style|New York Yankees|border=2}};"|Losing Team
!style="text-align:center; {{Baseball primary style|New York Yankees|border=2}};"|Attendance
|-
| October 20, 1923 || '''[[1923 Syracuse Orangemen football team|Syracuse]]''' || 3-0 || [[1923 Pittsburgh Panthers football team|Pittsburgh]] || -
|-
| October 17, 1925 || '''[[1925 Army Cadets football team|Army]]''' || 27-0 || [[1925 Notre Dame Fighting Irish football team|Notre Dame]] || -
|-
| November 13, 1926 || '''[[1926 Notre Dame Fighting Irish football team|Notre Dame]]''' || 7-0 || [[1926 Army Cadets football team|Army]] || 63,029
|-
| November 12, 1927 || '''[[1927 Army Cadets football team|Army]]''' || 18-0 || [[1927 Notre Dame Fighting Irish football team|Notre Dame]] || 65,678
|-
| November 10, 1928 || '''[[1928 Notre Dame Fighting Irish football team|Notre Dame]]''' || 12-6 || [[1928 Army Cadets football team|Army]] || 78,188
|-
| December 1, 1928 || '''[[1928 Stanford football team|Stanford]]''' || 26-0 || Army || 86,000
|-
| November 30, 1929 || '''[[1929 Notre Dame Fighting Irish football team|Notre Dame]]''' || 7-0 || [[1929 Army Cadets football team|Army]] || 79,408
|-
| November 8, 1930 || '''[[1930 Army Cadets football team|Army]]''' || 18-0 || [[1930 Illinois Fighting Illini football team|Illinois]] || -
|-
| December 13, 1930 || '''Army''' || 7-6 || [[1930 Navy Midshipmen football team|Navy]] || -
|-
| November 28, 1931 || '''[[1931 Army Cadets football team|Army]]''' || 12-0 || [[1930 Notre Dame Fighting Irish football team|Notre Dame]] || 78,559
|-
| December 12, 1931 || '''Army''' || 17-7 || [[1931 Navy Midshipmen football team|Navy]] || -
|-
| November 26, 1932 || '''[[1932 Notre Dame Fighting Irish football team|Notre Dame]]''' || 21-0 || [[1932 Army Cadets football team|Army]] || 78,115
|-
| December 2, 1933 || '''[[1933 Notre Dame Fighting Irish football team|Notre Dame]]''' || 21-0 || [[1933 Army Cadets football team|Army]] || 73,594
|-
| November 24, 1934 || '''[[1934 Notre Dame Fighting Irish football team|Notre Dame]]''' || 12–6 || [[1934 Army Cadets football team|Army]] || 78,757
|-
| November 16, 1935 || [[1935 Notre Dame Fighting Irish football team|Notre Dame]] || 6–6 || [[1935 Army Cadets football team|Army]] || 78,114
|-
| November 14, 1936 || '''[[1936 Notre Dame Fighting Irish football team|Notre Dame]]''' || 20–6 || [[1936 Army Cadets football team|Army]] || 74,423
|-
| November 13, 1937 || '''[[1937 Notre Dame Fighting Irish football team|Notre Dame]]''' || 7–0 || [[1937 Army Cadets football team|Army]] || 76,359
|-
| October 29, 1938 || '''[[1938 Notre Dame Fighting Irish football team|Notre Dame]]''' || 14–0 || [[1938 Army Cadets football team|Army]] || 76,338
|-
| November 4, 1939 || '''[[1939 Notre Dame Fighting Irish football team|Notre Dame]]''' || 19–7 || [[1939 Army Cadets football team|Army]] || 75,632
|-
| November 2, 1940 || '''[[1940 Notre Dame Fighting Irish football team|Notre Dame]]''' || 7-0 || [[1940 Army Cadets football team|Army]] || 75,474
|-
| November 1, 1941 || [[1941 Notre Dame Fighting Irish football team|Notre Dame]] || 0-0 || [[1941 Army Cadets football team|Army]] || 75,226
|-
| November 7, 1942 || '''[[1942 Notre Dame Fighting Irish football team|Notre Dame]]''' || 13-0 || [[1942 Army Cadets football team|Army]] || 74,946
|-
| November 21, 1942 || '''Army''' || 40–7 || [[Princeton Tigers football|Princeton]] || -
|-
| November 6, 1943 || '''[[1943 Notre Dame Fighting Irish football team|Notre Dame]]''' || 26-0 || [[1943 Army Cadets football team|Army]] || 75,121
|-
| November 11, 1944 || '''[[1944 Army Cadets football team|Army]]''' || 59-0 || [[1944 Notre Dame Fighting Irish football team|Notre Dame]] || 75,142
|-
| October 13, 1945 || '''[[1945 Army Cadets football team|Army]]''' || 28–7 || [[1945 Michigan Wolverines football team|Michigan]] || 62,878
|-
| November 10, 1945 || '''Army''' || 48-0 || [[1945 Notre Dame Fighting Irish football team|Notre Dame]] || 74,621
|-
| November 9, 1946 || [[1946 Notre Dame Fighting Irish football team|Notre Dame]] || 0-0 || [[1946 Army Cadets football team|Army]] || 74,121
|-
| October 11, 1947 || [[1947 Army Cadets football team|Army]] || 0–0 || [[1947 Illinois Fighting Illini football team|Illinois]] || -
|-
| October 9, 1948 || '''[[1948 Army Cadets football team|Army]]''' || 43–0 || [[1948 Stanford Indians football team|Stanford]] || -
|-
| October 14, 1950 || '''[[1950 Army Cadets football team|Army]]''' || 27–6 || [[1950 Michigan Wolverines football team|Michigan]] || -
|-
| November 3, 1951 || '''[[1951 USC Trojans football team|USC]]''' || 28-6 || [[1951 Army Cadets football team|Army]] || -
|-
| October 31, 1959 || [[1959 Army Cadets football team|Army]] || 13-13 || [[1959 Air Force Falcons football team|Air Force]] || -
|-
| November 5, 1960 || '''[[1960 Army Cadets football team|Army]]''' || 9–6 || [[1960 Syracuse Orangemen football team|Syracuse]] || -
|-
| November 18, 1961 || '''[[1961 Oklahoma Sooners football team|Oklahoma]]''' || 14-8 || [[1961 Army Cadets football team|Army]] || -
|-
| November 17, 1962 || '''[[1962 Pittsburgh Panthers football team|Pittsburgh]]''' || 7-6 || [[1962 Army Cadets football team|Army]] || -
|-
| [[1962 Gotham Bowl|December 15, 1962]] || '''[[1962 Nebraska Cornhuskers football team|Nebraska]]''' || 36-34 || [[1962 Miami Hurricanes football team|Miami (FL)]] || 6,166
|-
| November 28, 1963 || '''[[1963 Syracuse Orangemen football team|Syracuse]]''' || 14-7 || [[1963 Notre Dame Fighting Irish football team|Notre Dame]] || 56,972
|-
| November 7, 1964 || '''[[1964 Syracuse Orangemen football team|Syracuse]]''' || 27-15 || [[1964 Army Cadets football team|Army]] || -
|-
| October 11, 1969 || '''[[1969 Notre Dame Fighting Irish football team|Notre Dame]]''' || 45-0 || [[1969 Army Cadets football team|Army]] || -
|-
|}

===Professional football===
{{more citations needed section|date = April 2013}}
In 1926, after negotiations failed with the fledgling NFL and the [[Chicago Bears]], [[Red Grange]] and his agent C.C. Pyle formed the [[American Football League (1926)|first American Football League]] and fielded a team called the [[New York Yankees (NFL)|New York Yankees]] based in Yankee Stadium. The league failed after only one year, but the team continued as a member of the NFL for two seasons before ceasing operations. A [[New York Yankees (1936 AFL)|second New York Yankees]] football team, not related to the first, split its home games between Yankee Stadium and [[Downing Stadium]] as it competed in the [[American Football League (1936)|second AFL]] in 1936 and 1937. A [[American Football League (1940)|third AFL]] [[New York Yankees (1940 AFL)|New York Yankees]] took the field in 1940 and became the New York Americans in 1941.

The [[New York Yankees (AAFC)|New York Yankees]] of the [[All-America Football Conference]] (AAFC) played their home games at Yankee Stadium from 1946 to 1949. The 1947 AAFC championship game was held at Yankee Stadium. Following the [[1949 NFL season|1949 season]], the NFL [[New York Bulldogs]] acquired many of the players from the 1949 Yankees. Using the name the [[New York Yanks]] they played two seasons at Yankee Stadium, [[1950 NFL season|1950]] and [[1951 NFL season|1951]].

The [[New York Giants]] of the [[National Football League|NFL]] played their home games at Yankee Stadium from [[1956 NFL season|1956]] to [[1973 NFL season|1973]]. On December 28, 1958, Yankee Stadium hosted the 1958 NFL championship game, frequently called "[[1958 NFL Championship Game|The Greatest Game Ever Played]]". The [[1958 Baltimore Colts season|Baltimore Colts]] tied the [[1958 New York Giants season|Giants]], 17–17, on a field goal with seven seconds left. Led by quarterback [[Johnny Unitas]], the Colts won in overtime, 23–17. The game's dramatic ending is often cited as elevating professional football to one of the United States' major sports. The game was one of three NFL championships games that were played at Yankee Stadium; the [[1956 NFL Championship Game|1956]] and [[1962 NFL Championship Game|1962]] championship games were also played there.

In addition to the NFL championship games, one of the most notable plays in NFL history, sometimes referred to simply as [[The Hit (Chuck Bednarik)|The Hit]], occurred at Yankee Stadium on November 20, 1960.  In a game that day, the [[1960 Philadelphia Eagles season|Philadelphia Eagles]]' [[Chuck Bednarik]] forcefully tackled the [[1960 New York Giants season|Giants]]' [[Frank Gifford]] in the last minute of a close game, forcing a fumble recovered by the Eagles that clinched the victory for Philadelphia and ultimately helped the Eagles dethrone the two-time defending champion Giants as NFL Eastern Conference champions. The hit left Gifford with a concussion and forced his temporary retirement from football for the remainder of the [[1960 NFL season|1960 season]] and all of the [[1961 NFL season|1961 season]].<ref>{{cite web|title=Where Are They Now: C/LB Chuck Bednarik|url=http://www.philadelphiaeagles.com/news/Story-WhereAreTheyNow.asp?story_id=15075|publisher=PhiladelphiaEagles.com|access-date=March 11, 2011|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20090311014450/http://www.philadelphiaeagles.com/news/Story-WhereAreTheyNow.asp?story_id=15075|archive-date=March 11, 2009|url-status=dead|df=mdy-all}}</ref>

The Giants played their first two home games at Yankee Stadium in [[1973 NFL season|1973]], concluding their tenancy on September 23 with a 23–23 tie against the [[1973 Philadelphia Eagles season|Philadelphia Eagles]]. In October, they moved to the [[Yale Bowl]] in [[New Haven, Connecticut]], for the rest of the season.

In 1976, after the renovations, the [[New York Jets]] hosted 3 preseason games (Giants, Raiders, and Redskins) at Yankee Stadium. [https://www.nytimes.com/1976/04/20/archives/jets-to-play-3-games-in-stadium-ii-jets-to-play-3-games-in-stadium.html]

===Soccer===
[[Celtic F.C.]] defeated [[New York Yankees (soccer)|New York Yankees]] in the first major soccer game to be played at the Stadium on June 28, 1931. In the coming three decades, a number of games between the Maccabbees - Jewish All-stars from [[Palestine (region)|Palestine]] and American all-stars were played.<ref>[https://www.nytimes.com/2012/07/22/sports/soccer/yankee-stadium-as-its-predecessor-did-opens-its-doors-to-soccer.html Yankee Stadium, Like Its Predecessor, Is a Home to Soccer]</ref> European club exhibitions first came in 1952, when on June 14, [[Liverpool F.C.|Liverpool]] drew 1–1 with [[Grasshopper Club Zürich]]. The next day, [[Tottenham Hotspur F.C.|Tottenham Hotspur]] thrashed [[Manchester United F.C.|Manchester United]] 7–1, just a year after United had taken over for Spurs as [[English football champions|champions of England]]. The following year, on June 8, the [[England national football team|English national team]] defeated the [[United States men's national soccer team|U.S. national team]] 6–3, in a rematch of the [[England v United States (1950)|Miracle on Grass]] match at the [[1950 FIFA World Cup|1950 World Cup]].<ref>{{cite web |url=http://www.bigapplesoccer.com/history/yankeestadium.php?article_id=15877 |title=Yankee Stadium Farewell Part 1: Ballpark has a great soccer legacy |publisher=Big Apple Soccer |date=September 19, 2008 |access-date=December 17, 2008 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20081216024858/http://bigapplesoccer.com/history/yankeestadium.php?article_id=15877 |archive-date=December 16, 2008 |url-status=dead |df=mdy-all }}</ref>

Major international clubs returned to the Stadium in 1966, with [[Pelé|Pele's]] [[Santos FC|Santos]] of Brazil beating [[F.C. Internazionale Milano|Inter Milan]] 4–1 on June 5. In 1967, [[C.A. Cerro]] of [[Uruguay]] played in the [[United Soccer Association]] during the summer months under the title "[[New York Skyliners]]". They played major games against [[Hibernian F.C.]] of [[Scotland]], renamed "[[Toronto City]]", [[Cagliari F.C.]] of Italy, renamed "[[Chicago Mustangs (1967–68)|Chicago Mustangs]]" and [[Bangu Atlético Clube]] of Brazil, renamed "[[Houston Stars]]". During the same year, the stadium also became home to the [[New York Generals]] of the [[National Professional Soccer League (1967)|National Professional Soccer League]]. Upon the 1968 merger of the United Soccer Association and the National Professional Soccer League, a new league was created known as the [[North American Soccer League (1968–84)|North American Soccer League]], where the Generals remained as the New York team. In 1968, in addition to league competition, the Generals took on Santos, winning 5–3 and [[Real Madrid C.F.|Real Madrid]], losing 4–1. That year, Santos also played and beat [[S.S.C. Napoli]] of Italy 4–2 at the Stadium, along with [[S.L. Benfica]] of Portugal, with whom they drew 3–3. The next year, four major international club games were played at the Stadium: [[F.C. Barcelona|Barcelona]] beat [[Juventus F.C|Juventus]] 3–2 on May 30, Inter Milan beat [[Sparta Prague]] 4–0 on June 27 and [[A.C. Milan]] defeated [[Panathinaikos F.C.|Panathinaikos]] 4–0 also on June 27. Finally, on June 29, Yankee Stadium hosted its own version of the [[Derby della Madonnina]], with A.C. Milan defeating Inter 6–4. The latter three games that year were all part of a three-day "United States Cup of Champions".<ref>{{cite web |url=http://www.bigapplesoccer.com/history/yankeestadium.php?article_id=15889 |title=Yankee Stadium Farewell Part 2: The busy Sixties |publisher=Big Apple Soccer |date=September 20, 2008 |access-date=December 17, 2008 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20081216024903/http://bigapplesoccer.com/history/yankeestadium.php?article_id=15889 |archive-date=December 16, 2008 |url-status=dead |df=mdy-all }}</ref>

On September 15, 1968, the [[United States men's national soccer team|U.S. national soccer team]] played an [[Exhibition game|international friendly]] against the [[Israel national football team|Israel national team]] at the Stadium. It was the first game for the U.S. in 15 months and 10,118 saw Israel and the U.S. draw 3-3.<ref>{{cite web  |url=https://www.rsssf.org/tablesi/isra-intres60.html |title=Israel Official Games 1960–1969 |access-date=April 13, 2009 |publisher=Rec. Sport. Soccer Statistics Foundation }}</ref>

In 1971 and 1976, the [[New York Cosmos (1971–1985)|New York Cosmos]] of the [[North American Soccer League (1968–84)|NASL]] played their home games at Yankee Stadium. During the 1971 season, they also hosted [[Heart of Midlothian F.C.|Hearts]] from Scotland, and [[Apollon Kalamarias F.C.|Apollon Kalamarias]] of Greece. In 1976 the team's star attraction was [[Pelé]]. The Brazil native, known as "The King of Football", was considered the best player in the world. Also that year, in Yankee Stadium's final international match on May 28, [[England national football team|England]] defeated [[Italy national football team|Italy]] 3–2 as part of the [[1976 U.S.A. Bicentennial Cup Tournament|Bicentennial Cup Tournament]]. Finally, on August 10, 1976, the last soccer game was played at Yankee Stadium, with the Cosmos thrashing the [[Miami Toros]] 8–2. The Cosmos moved to [[Giants Stadium]] for the 1977 season.<ref>{{cite web |url=http://www.bigapplesoccer.com/history/yankeestadium.php?article_id=15934 |title=Yankee Stadium Farewell Part 3: The King makes a home |publisher=Big Apple Soccer |date=September 22, 2008 |access-date=December 17, 2008 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20081216024908/http://bigapplesoccer.com/history/yankeestadium.php?article_id=15934 |archive-date=December 16, 2008 |url-status=dead |df=mdy-all }}</ref>

==== International soccer matches ====
{{clear left}}
{| class="wikitable" align=center style="margin-left:15px; text-align:center; background:#ffffff;"
|-
!style="text-align:center; {{Baseball primary style|New York Yankees|border=2}};"|Date
!style="text-align:center; {{Baseball primary style|New York Yankees|border=2}};"|Winning Team
!style="text-align:center; {{Baseball primary style|New York Yankees|border=2}};"|Result
!style="text-align:center; {{Baseball primary style|New York Yankees|border=2}};"|Losing Team
!style="text-align:center; {{Baseball primary style|New York Yankees|border=2}};"|Competition
!style="text-align:center; {{Baseball primary style|New York Yankees|border=2}};"|Attendance
|-
|style="text-align:center;"|June 28, 1931 ||'''{{flagicon|SCO}} [[Celtic F.C.|Celtic]]'''||style="text-align:center;"|4-1 || {{flagicon|USA}} [[New York Yankees (soccer)|New York Yankees]] ||style="text-align:center;"|Friendly ||style="text-align:center;"|—
|-
|style="text-align:center;"|June 14, 1952 || {{flagicon|ENG}} [[Liverpool F. C.|Liverpool]] ||style="text-align:center;"|1-1 || {{flagicon|SUI}} [[Grasshopper Club Zürich|Grasshoppers]] ||style="text-align:center;"|Friendly ||style="text-align:center;"|—
|-
|style="text-align:center;"|June 15, 1952 ||'''{{flagicon|ENG}} [[Tottenham Hotspur F.C.|Tottenham Hotspur]]'''||style="text-align:center;"|7-1 || {{flagicon|ENG}} [[Manchester United F.C.|Manchester United]] ||style="text-align:center;"|Friendly ||style="text-align:center;"|—
|-
|style="text-align:center;"|June 8, 1953 ||'''{{fb|ENG}}'''||style="text-align:center;"|6–3|| {{fb|USA}} ||style="text-align:center;"|Friendly ||style="text-align:center;"|—
|-
|style="text-align:center;"|June 5, 1966 ||'''{{flagicon|BRA}} [[Santos FC|Santos]]'''||style="text-align:center;"|4–1|| {{flagicon|ITA}} [[Inter Milan|Internazionale]] ||style="text-align:center;"|Friendly ||style="text-align:center;"|—
|-
|style="text-align:center;"|June 21, 1968 ||'''{{flagicon|BRA}} [[Santos FC|Santos]]'''||style="text-align:center;"|4–2 || {{flagicon|ITA}} [[S.S.C. Napoli|Napoli]] || style="text-align:center;"|Friendly ||style="text-align:center;"|43,002
|-
|style="text-align:center;"|July 12, 1968 ||'''{{flagicon|USA}} [[New York Generals]]'''||style="text-align:center;"|5-3 || {{flagicon|BRA}} [[Santos FC|Santos]] ||style="text-align:center;"|Friendly ||style="text-align:center;"|15,645 
|-
|style="text-align:center;"|August 21, 1968||'''{{flagicon|ESP}} [[Real Madrid CF|Real Madrid]]'''||style="text-align:center;"|4–1 || {{flagicon|USA}} [[New York Generals]] ||style="text-align:center;"|Friendly ||style="text-align:center;"|16,520
|-
|style="text-align:center;"|September 1, 1968 || {{flagicon|BRA}} [[Santos FC|Santos]] ||style="text-align:center;"|3-3 || {{flagicon|POR}} [[S.L. Benfica|Benfica]] ||style="text-align:center;"|Friendly ||style="text-align:center;"|36,904
|-
|style="text-align:center;"|September 15, 1968 || {{fb|USA}} ||style="text-align:center;"|3-3 || {{fb|ISR}} ||style="text-align:center;"|Friendly ||style="text-align:center;"|10,118
|-
|style="text-align:center;"|May 30, 1969 ||'''{{flagicon|ESP}} [[FC Barcelona|Barcelona]]'''||style="text-align:center;"|3-2 || {{flagicon|ITA}} [[Juventus F.C.|Juventus]] ||style="text-align:center;"|Friendly ||style="text-align:center;"|—
|-
|style="text-align:center;" rowspan=2|June 27, 1969 ||'''{{flagicon|ITA}} [[Inter Milan|Internazionale]]'''||style="text-align:center;" rowspan=2|4–0 || {{flagicon|CZE}} [[Sparta Prague]] ||style="text-align:center;" rowspan=2|Friendly ||style="text-align:center;" rowspan=2|—
|-
| '''{{flagicon|ITA}} [[A.C. Milan|Milan]]'''|| {{flagicon|GRE}} [[Panathinaikos F.C.|Panathinaikos]]
|-
|style="text-align:center;"|May 28, 1976 ||'''{{fb|ENG}}'''||style="text-align:center;"|3-2 || {{fb|ITA}} ||style="text-align:center;"|[[1976 U.S.A. Bicentennial Cup Tournament|Bicentennial Cup Tournament]] ||style="text-align:center;"|40,650
|}

===Ice hockey===
[[National Hockey League|National Hockey League (NHL)]] executives inquired about the possibility of using Yankee Stadium for an outdoor [[ice hockey]] match featuring the [[New York Rangers]] in the [[2008–09 NHL season|2008–09 season]] after the successful reception of both the [[2003 Heritage Classic]] and the [[2008 NHL Winter Classic]] outdoor games. If approved, it would have been the final sporting event at the current stadium.<ref>{{Cite news |title=Yankee Stadium game likely for Rangers |first=John |last=Dellapina |url=http://www.nydailynews.com/sports/baseball/yankees/2008/03/09/2008-03-09_yankee_stadium_game_likely_for_rangers.html |newspaper=Daily News |location=New York |date=March 10, 2008 |access-date=October 24, 2009 |archive-date=September 9, 2009 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20090909163528/http://www.nydailynews.com/sports/baseball/yankees/2008/03/09/2008-03-09_yankee_stadium_game_likely_for_rangers.html |url-status=dead }}</ref> The NHL, however, decided to hold the second [[2009 NHL Winter Classic|Winter Classic]] in Chicago, at [[Wrigley Field]].<ref>{{cite web |url=http://tsn.ca/nhl/story/?id=239172 |title=Blackhawks to host next season's Winter Classic |publisher=TSN |date=May 29, 2008 |access-date=May 29, 2008 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20080601220625/http://www.tsn.ca/nhl/story/?id=239172 |archive-date=June 1, 2008 |url-status=dead |df=mdy-all}}</ref>  The new Yankee Stadium would end up hosting two outdoor NHL games in [[2014 NHL Stadium Series#Yankee Stadium games|2014]].

===Concerts===
{{unreferenced section|date=October 2022}}
The first concert ever held there was an ensemble [[R&B]] show on June 21, 1969, put together by the [[Live at Yankee Stadium|Isley Brothers]]; the first rock concert held at the stadium was on June 22, 1990, by [[Billy Joel]]. It was also the site of two dates of [[U2]]'s [[Zoo TV Tour]] in 1992. During one song, [[Bono]] paid tribute to the show's setting with the line "I dreamed I saw [[Joe DiMaggio]]/Dancing with [[Marilyn Monroe]]". [[Pink Floyd]] also performed two sold-out shows at this venue on their final North American tour in 1994 in support of their album ''[[The Division Bell]]''.

===Other events===
{{more citations needed section|date = April 2013}}
Beginning in 1950, the stadium began holding religious conventions of [[Jehovah's Witnesses]]. The 1958 New York International Convention of [[Jehovah's Witnesses]] attracted 253,922 people from all over the world, although many were at the nearby Polo Grounds, the Yankee Stadium total of 123,707 in a single day remains the biggest attendance ever for any event at Yankee Stadium and is commemorated by a historical marker in the sidewalk nearby.<ref name="history">{{cite web |url=http://newyork.yankees.mlb.com/NASApp/mlb/nyy/ballpark/stadium_history.jsp |title=Yankee Stadium History &#124; New York Yankees |publisher=newyork.yankees.mlb.com |access-date=September 17, 2015 |archive-date=May 20, 2008 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20080520132204/http://newyork.yankees.mlb.com/NASApp/mlb/nyy/ballpark/stadium_history.jsp |url-status=dead }}</ref> These conventions would continue on until the late 1980s. When room ran out in the stands, the ladies were asked to remove their heels, and people were brought in to sit in the outfield. There was also a makeshift camp nearby where the program was broadcast for hundreds others to listen to.

On July 20, 1957, evangelist [[Billy Graham]] attracted a crowd of 100,000 to a televised "[[revival meeting|crusade]]" at Yankee Stadium. A ''New York Times'' article of the following day described the turnout as "the largest crowd in stadium history" to that time.<ref>{{cite news |url=https://www.nytimes.com/books/97/07/06/reviews/graham-yankee.html |title=100,000 fill Yankee Stadium to hear Graham |newspaper=The New York Times |date=July 21, 1957 |access-date=September 23, 2008}}</ref>

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 (liturgy)|Mass]] at the ballpark, along with numerous clergy. On June 21, 1990, a rally was held at Yankee Stadium for [[Nelson Mandela]] upon his release from prison. On September 23, 2001, Yankee Stadium hosted a memorial service for victims of the [[September 11 attacks|September 11 terrorist attacks]] in New York City.

On March 10, 2006, Yankee Stadium saw its only wedding at home plate. Blind sportswriter [[Ed Lucas]], who has been a member of the Yankee family for over 40 years, got special permission from the Yankees, the City of New York and Major League Baseball to exchange vows with his fiancée, Allison Pfieffle, on the same spot where Lou Gehrig made his famous farewell speech, among the many notable events. Over 400 people, including present and former members of the Yankee family were in attendance to see the happy couple united, and the ceremony was broadcast on [[ESPN]], the YES Network, [[NBC]]'s ''[[Today (NBC program)|Today Show]]'' and other national media outlets.

==Photo gallery==
<gallery>
Image:Yankee Stadium 1927.jpg|The Stadium during the 1927 season before the left field grandstand was extended
File:Yankee Stadium Aerial View.jpg|Aerial view of Yankee Stadium after the left field grandstand was extended
Image:OYS1950S.jpg |Panoramic view of the pre-renovated Yankee Stadium
Image:Yankee Stadium 1956.png| A view of pre-renovated Yankee Stadium in 1956
Image:Yankee stadium 2.jpg |Aerial photo of the stadium and surrounding neighborhood
Image:StadiumWall.jpg |The outer wall of the stadium
Image:RiverAve.jpg |River Avenue, located behind the stadium and under the [[4 (New York City Subway service)]] train
Image:StadiumOutsideNight.jpg |The front of the stadium at night
Image:YankeeBridge.jpg |A bridge leading to the front of the stadium over [[Metro-North Railroad]] tracks
Image:StadiumTarp.jpg |The grounds crew taking the tarp off the infield
Image:GrandstandsNight.jpg |The stadium during a night game
Image:SideNight.jpg |The left field side of the grandstand
Image:Stadium dusk.jpg |The Stadium just before sunset from the upper deck
Image:YankeesGrandstand1.jpg |The infield during a night game
Image:ParkFromTheBox.jpg |[[Monument Park (Yankee Stadium)|Monument Park]], the LF bleachers, the bullpens, and the retired numbers
Image:BleachersBP.JPG |The outfield during batting practice
Image:DiMaggioSign.jpg |A sign in the hallway en route to the dugout that the Yankees touch as they come out of the clubhouse. [[Derek Jeter]], with permission from the Yankees, took the sign after the stadium closed.<ref name="yahoo">{{cite web|url=https://sports.yahoo.com/mlb/blog/big_league_stew/post/Derek-Jeter-finally-admits-stealing-part-of-old-?urn=mlb,137634 |title=Derek Jeter finally admits stealing part of old Yankee Stadium - Big League Stew - MLB&nbsp;Blog - Yahoo! Sports |publisher=sports.yahoo.com|access-date=September 17, 2015}}</ref>
Image:UpperDeckattheStadium.JPG| The foul pole, upper deck, and the bleachers
Image:320.JPG| The left field corner at Yankee Stadium
</gallery>

==References==
===Notes===
{{Reflist}}

===Bibliography===
{{refbegin}}
*{{cite book|last1=Plasse|first1=Jon|title=The Stadium: Images and Voices of the Original Yankee Stadium|date=2011|publisher=SUNY Press|location=Albany|isbn=978-1-4384-4005-7}}
*{{cite book|first1=Ray|last1=Robinson|first2=Christopher|last2=Jennison|title=Yankee Stadium: 75 Years of Drama, Glamor, and Glory|publisher=Penguin|year=1998|isbn=978-0-670-87093-6|url=https://archive.org/details/yankeestadium75y00robi}}
* {{Cite book|first= Christopher J.|last= Kauffman|title= Faith and Fraternalism|publisher= Harper and Row|year= 1982|isbn= 978-0-06-014940-6|url= https://archive.org/details/faithfraternalis00kauf}}
{{refend}}

==External links==
{{Commons category|Yankee Stadium (1923)}}
*[https://web.archive.org/web/20020201224929/http://www.ballparks.com/baseball/american/yankee.htm Yankee Stadium Facts, figures, photos and more]
*{{webarchive |url=https://web.archive.org/web/20060109223404/http://www.ballparkdigest.com/visits/yankee_stadium.htm |title=Ballpark Digest Visit |date=2006-01-09}}
*[http://www.nycgovparks.org/sub_your_park/nyy_stadium/html/nyy_redevelopment.html Yankee Stadium Redevelopment Project]
*{{webarchive |url=https://web.archive.org/web/20070911134713/http://www.derekmiller.us/baseball/yankee.shtml |title=Brief History of Yankee Stadium |date=2007-09-11}}
*{{webarchive |url=https://web.archive.org/web/20060205014144/http://manhattan.about.com/od/governmentandpolitics/a/nyyankeestadium.htm |title=History of Yankee Stadium – About.com |date=2006-02-05}}
*{{webarchive |url=http://webarchive.loc.gov/all/20011108081043/http://yankees.mlb.com/nasapp/mlb/nyy/ballpark/nyy_ballpark_history.jsp |title=Yankee Stadium history |date=2001-11-08}}
*[https://web.archive.org/web/20100820111253/http://www.life.com/timeline/4841/memories-of-the-old-yankee-stadium#index/0 Memories of the Old Yankee Stadium] – slideshow by ''[[Life magazine]]''
*[http://www.gigapan.org/viewGigapan.php?id=6499 Panorama of Yankee Stadium from Gigapan]
*{{webarchive |url=https://web.archive.org/web/20090522120602/http://www.demolitionofyankeestadium.com/ |title=Demolition of Yankee Stadium |date=2009-05-22}}
*[https://www.newyorker.com/talk/2009/08/10/090810ta_talk_goldberger The Park that Ruth Built: the future of old Yankee Stadium], by Paul Goldberger, ''[[The New Yorker]]'', August 10, 2009

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