Interesting facts about Yankee Stadium show that it’s a very historic venue, not just for New York Yankees baseball. Not only have the New York Yankees won many World Series at Yankee Stadium, but legendary football and boxing matches have taken place here as the following interesting facts will expound on. Here’s a number of interesting facts about Yankee Stadium, the home of the New York Yankees.
Interesting Facts about the Stadium’s Name and Former Occupier
Yankee Stadium is nicknamed “The House that Ruth Built” as Babe Ruth’s home run hitting abilities helped inspired a large stadium for the New York Yankees that the fans could flock to en masse for baseball. While Ruth may have been the inspiration for its building, the ballpark’s land of the New York Yankees was once used as farmland before the American Revolution according to Total Baseball, 6th Edition (1999).
Interesting Facts about the Stadium’s Completion and Major Renovation
Yankee Stadium was completed in 1923 for a cost of 2.5 million, and its original baseball seating capacity was 58,000. The seating capacity got as high as 82,000 in 1927, according to Baseball Almanac’s website. Babe Ruth hit the first ever home run there in the very first game at the legendary ballpark on April 18, 1923. Yankee Stadium was renovated from 1973-75 for a cost of some 160 million dollars, and re-opened for the 1976 season, with a seating capacity of 57,145, though currently it’s now up to some 57,545.
Interesting Facts about the Stadium’s World Series Clinchers and All-Star Games
The New York Yankees have clinched only nine of their 26 World Championships in their home ballpark, with their last Fall Classic clincher at home taking place in 1999 against the Atlanta Braves. Yankee Stadium has hosted three Major League Baseball All-Star games: 1939, 1960, and 1977. The American League is 1-2 in those baseball games, only winning in 1939. The home of the New York Yankees called Yankee Stadium is scheduled to host the 2008 All-Star game, too, which is its last year for being the Bronx Bombers’ home. For in 2009, the team will move into a new stadium, estimated to cost well over one billion dollars for everything, including related to/outside the stadium improvements on behalf of the New York Yankees.
Interesting Facts About the Stadium’s Home Run Distances
As for long and short baseball home run distances for Yankee Stadium, from 1923-27, the left field line was only 280.58 feet away from home plate and right field was just 294.75 feet away from home plate from 1923-29. Yet to contrast, “deepest” left center field was 500 feet away from home plate for the 1923 season, and from 1924-36, this area’s farthest spot was ten feet less at 490 feet. The farthest that center field has ever been at the New York Yankees ballpark was 487 feet from 1923-1936 according to Total Baseball, 6th Edition (1999).
Interesting Facts About the Stadium’s Hosting of Football and Boxing Matches
The Notre Dame Fighting Irish have played 24 games at Yankee Stadium (many of them against Army), compiling a record of 15 wins, 6 losses, and 3 ties. Knute Rockne’s “Win One for the Gipper” speech took place there in 1928, when Notre Dame beat Army 12-6. Other college football teams who’ve played a lot at Yankee Stadium are Army (38 games), New York University (96 games), and Fordham University (19 games). The New York Giants played in Yankee Stadium from 1956-1973, and one of the greatest pro games took place between the Giants and the Baltimore Colts for the 1958 NFL Championship, which went to overtime and a subsequent win for the Colts, 23-17. This game helped to make NFL football more popular in the USA.
A number of notable boxing matches took place at the Bronx Bombers’ home field, including eight championship fights that were fought by boxing legend Joe Louis, according to Wikipedia. His re-match with Max Schmeling on June 22, 1938 was deemed “the fight of the century”, but only lasted one round, as Louis easily scored a knock-out, sending Schmeling to the hospital for several days, according to Arlington National Cemetery’s online site.
Interesting Facts About the Stadium’s Hosting of Non-Sporting Events
Many special non-sporting events outside of baseball have been held at Yankee Stadium. Religious groups like the Jehovah’s Witnesses have held religious conventions at the New York Yankees home. Catholic masses have been performed here, too, including one on October 2, 1979 by Pope John Paul II, of which this service was honored with a plaque to Monument Park. After the September 11, 2001 terrorist attacks, a memorial service was conducted in this ballpark.
Interesting Facts About the Stadium’s Monuments and Plaques
The monuments honoring Yankee baseball legends Lou Gehrig, Miller Huggins, and Babe Ruth were actually in fair territory before the 1973-75 renovations. Currently, Monument Park, which is behind the left field area wall, includes monuments and plaques for such New York Yankees legends like Billy Martin, Yogi Berra, Reggie Jackson, Joe DiMaggio, Roger Maris, Thurman Munson, and Mickey Mantle.
And finally, another of the interesting facts about Yankee Stadium is that whether the home baseball team wins or not, Frank Sinatra’s New York, New York is played after the completion of every home game.
Pertinent online sources for the Yankee Stadium of baseball are in the “Resources” box.
Reference:
- Yankee Stadium Info: en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Yankee_stadium
