Best Baseball Parks-Yankee Stadium
The House That Ruth Built is Baseball's Most Storied Cathedral
May 28, 2007
Yankee Stadium's Origins
From their inaugural season in 1901 until the early 1920s, the New York Yankees played first in the cramped confines of Hilltop Park, and then shared space with the New York Giants at the Polo Grounds. After the Yankees popularity increased with their acquisition of Babe Ruth and the capture of their first American League pennant, however, the team needed a park worthy of their newfound glory.
Accordingly, the team's owner, Colonel Jacob Ruppert, purchased a ten acre tract of land in the Bronx, almost directly across the East River from the Polo Grounds. Ruppert engaged Oborn Engineering to oversee the construction. Almost two years and nearly $2.5 million later, Yankee Stadium was finished. It was a 74,000 seat, three-tiered stadium that was immediately crowned the new cathedral of baseball.
Yankee Stadium opened for play on April 18, 1923, with the Yankees hosting the Boston Red Sox before a crowd of 45,000. Fittingly, Babe Ruth hit a three run home run and the Yankees beat Boston, 4-1. It was the beginning of a storied tradition that would last almost a century.
Yankee Stadium's Distinctive Features
The Odd Dimensions. Although the press dubbed the Stadium "The House That Ruth Built" because the Babe was able to draw a fan base that was sufficient to justify such a splendid baseball palace, some critics called it "The House Built for Ruth" because of its cozy dimensions for left-handed hitters. The stadium's original dimensions supported the criticism: the right field foul pole was 295 feet from home plate, and the wall in the right-center power alley was a hitter-friendly 350 feet. In sharp contrast, the center field wall was 457 feet and the left-center field gap was almost 490 feet away. As the year's passed and the Stadium underwent repeated renovations, the left and center field walls were pulled in (eventually to 399 feet and 408 feet, respectively) and the right field fence was pushed out, to its current distance of 314 feet.
Yankee Stadium's Monument Park. After Yankee manager Miller Huggins died suddenly in 1932, the team dedicated a stone monument in his honor, which was placed on the field of play, in center field near the old flag pole. Subsequently, monuments were erected in honor of Lou Gehrig and Babe Ruth. In time the monuments were moved to a spot just beyond the left field wall, which was called Monument Park. As the years went by and more and more legends played in the Stadium, Monument Park grew in proportion. Today, there are monuments and plaques dedicated to more than two dozen former players, managers and broadcasters including Joe DiMaggio, Mickey Mantle, Whitey Ford, Casey Stengel, Reggie Jackson and Don Mattingly.
Yankee Stadium's Big Bat. Located outside of the Stadium's main gate stands a 138-foot high replica of a baseball bat. A common meeting place among fans, the bat is actually a large exhaust pipe that releases the majority of built-up steam from inside the park. The cost of the bat's construction was paid by Hillerich & Bradsby, makers of the famous Louisville Slugger.
Yankee Stadium's Facade. One of the most distinguishing characteristics of Yankee Stadium is the facade. Originally, the facade was a series of copper arches (painted white in the 1960s) that ran around the roof of the grandstand's upper deck. However, the renovation of the 1970s (a major overhaul that cost $160 million) greatly scaled back this roof, and the facade was removed.
The New Stadium
The Stadium has been around for almost 85 years, but alas, the run is coming to an end. After winning 39 American League pennants and 26 World Series titles at the existing Yankee Stadium, the Bombers will move into the New Yankee Stadium, which is currently being constructed across the street from the existing park at a cost of $1.3 billion.
One can only wonder if the mystique and aura of the old stadium will move across the street, too.
