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BEEN THERE, DONE THAT: I drove by Yankee Stadium in 1987, and finally saw a game there in July 2004.
ALL STAR GAMES: 1939, 1960, 1977 LIGHTS: 1946
What physical structure is a better embodiment of the legendary greatness of our National Pastime than Yankee Stadium? The "House that Babe Ruth built" was the first baseball stadium with three decks, and it had the greatest capacity until Cleveland's Municipal Stadium was built eight years later. For many decades Yankee Stadium has overawed opponents with its immense grandeur and the haunting legacy of past superstars.
In the "Original Era" (1923-1936), the lower deck extended all the way to the bullpen in left field, but only as far as the corner in right field. The top two decks only went as far as the right and left field corners. In 1924, home plate was moved 13 feet forward, to eliminate the "bloody angle" in the right field corner where line drives caromed unpredictably, as described in Lowry's book Green Cathedrals. From 1924 to 1927, the distance to left field line was 281 feet (not shown in the above diagrams). In 1928 the two upper decks were extended out to left center field, and a few rows of seats were removed from the left field corner. In the original version of Yankee Stadium, there was a slope between the warning track (which was also used for bicycle races) and the bleachers. That is indicated by the darker green band in the first two diagrams above. With the extremely asymmetrical dimensions, the Yankees' switch-hitting and left-handed sluggers Ruthlessly took advantage of inside pitches by knocking line drives over the short right field fence.
At the outset of the "Classic Era" (1937-1973), the original wooden bleachers were replaced by permanent bleachers, and the sharply angled outfield fence was reconfigured into a huge sweeping curve. During the 1937 season all three decks were extended around the right field corner, thereby completing the grandstand. The original plans allowed for an eventual total enclosure of the field by all three decks (with an overall shape much like Candlestick Park or Phase Two of Anaheim Stadium), which would have resulted in a seating capacity of about 100,000. Common sense prevailed, thank goodness. In the right field corner a "bevel" notch similar to the one in the left field corner was created, except that the foul line actually lay flush against the wall. Monuments for Miller Huggins, Babe Ruth, and Lou Gehrig (in that chronological order) were placed in front of the flag pole in the deepest part of the outfield (known as "Death Valley") just to the left of straightaway center field. Sometimes they got in the way of the center fielder as he pursued the ball. The outfield wall was highest along the straight portion in center field, tapering away gradually in left center and right center. The enormous bleachers provided plenty of room for the rowdy blue-collar fans of the Bronx to express their sentiments, and they were an integral part of the hellish experience for visiting teams. This was the era dominated by Joe DiMaggio and later, Mickey Mantle. In his rookie year, 1951, Mantle injured his knee on a sprinkler head cover during the World Series while trying to avoid a collision with Joe DiMaggio. It was only the first of several such leg injuries he suffered in the outfield, impairing his mobility and shortening his career. In 1956 and again in 1963 Mantle hit the facade atop the right field third deck, coming within inches of clearing the roof. No one ever hit a homer out of Yankee Stadium, at least not one that was documented. (Some say that Negro League player Josh Gibson did so.)
Negative aspects? The Bronx is not exactly the best example of urban charm, and by the late 1970s had deteriorated to the point where the movie Fort Apache: The Bronx (starring Paul Newman) portrayed it as a violent Third World mega-slum hotbed on the brink of revolution. A major advantage is that the "subway" stop is located in back of the right field bleachers, even closer than the "El" train is to Wrigley Field. (See photo below.) Ironically, Yankee Stadium's seating capacity shrank over the years even as the structure was expanded in successive stages. The largest crowd ever there was 85,265, in 1928. Fire codes were often ignored in those days! In 1967 some kind of tower (for loudspeakers?) was installed in front of the center field fence, and the distance marker was changed to "463," apparently because it had been moved to the left.
CINEMA: Yankee Stadium was featured in the classic movies Pride of the Yankees (1942), Angels in the Outfield (original version, 1951), Bang the Drum Slowly (1973), and For the Love of the Game (1999). It also made brief appearances in many other films and TV shows, most notably Seinfeld.
Yankee Stadium was completely stripped and rebuilt in 1974 and 1975, during which time the Yankees moved to Queens and paid rent to the Mets for the use of Shea Stadium as their temporary "home." Meanwhile, an ingenious new system of suspension cables was installed in the upper decks, allowing the steel support beams to be removed, greatly improving visibility. In addition, the upper deck was expanded by about 15 rows, the only part that is covered by the new roof. The arched facade along front edge of the roof, which had long been Yankee Stadium's architectural trademark, was removed, though portions of it were retained as a scenic backdrop above the billboards and scoreboards behind the bleachers. Also, a new upper concourse level was built one story above the old one, so that all of the portals in the third deck were replaced by new ones eight or so rows toward the back. Another modification was that the entire playing field was lowered by five feet, allowing several additional rows of box seats to be squeezed in. Home plate was also moved forward by about 10 feet, but several rows of seats in the right and left field corners were removed, so that the distances down the lines actually increased slightly. Now the lower deck in right field is completely covered by the upper deck, and the right field foul pole is mere inches from the front edge of the upper deck. The bullpens were moved from the gaps between the bleachers and the grandstands in right and left fields, and put in front of the bleachers in what used to be "Death Valley." A new "Monument Park" was created to house the three historic monuments and those of newer generations of Yankee Legends. Unfortunately, it is out of play and pretty much out of sight for most fans.
After the 1974-1975 renovations were completed, the outfield dimensions were reduced considerably. For some reason (to placate stat-conscious sluggers, no doubt), an inner fence was installed in 1985, further reducing the distance to left-center field by 19 feet. That fence was moved several feet toward home plate yet again in 1988, and the Yankees' bullpen was also moved forward into the newly created gap. These changes tragically obliterated much of Yankee Stadium's distinctive asymmetrical layout.
From 1956 until 1973 Yankee Stadium was also the home of the New York Giants football team, and such greats as Frank Gifford and Y. A. Tittle played there. It was the scene of several big boxing matches as well. Accounts vary, but it seems that temporary bleachers for football games were installed in right field beginning in the mid-1960s. In some years, the gridiron was parallel to the third base line, and in other years it was parallel to the grandstand on that side.
In recent years it became clear that the stadium is in need of major repairs: In April 1998 an expansion joint in the upper deck on the third base side -- at the "seam" where the 1928 upper deck extension began -- broke and fell to the deck below. Yankee Stadium was briefly closed for structural assessments and repairs, and the Mets let the Yankees use Shea Stadium as a temporary home for one more game. Prior to the 2001 season a new section of ground-level seats for handicapped folks were placed in the gap behind the left field fence, which was redone with plexiglass.
One of the most emotional and dramatic moments in Yankee Stadium history came in October, 2001 when President George W. Bush threw out the first pitch in the World Series, joining Mayor Rudolph Giuliani in special ceremonies mourning the 3,000 lives lost in the horrific 9/11 terrorist attacks. Prior to the the 2002 season, the infield was lowered by about 16 inches, when they installed a new sand-based turf drainage system which obviated the need for an old-fashioned runoff system. In June 2005 it was announced that the Yankees had reached a firm agreement with city and state officials to build a new stadium on the north side of where the present stadium stands. Tragically, Yankee Stadium day's are numbered. Once it is gone, presumably in 2009, a big part of the Bronx Bombers' mystique and aura of invincibility will be gone with it.
SOURCES: Lowry (1992, 2006); Gershman (1993); Pastier (2006, 2007); Spink (1947); Kahn (1954); Durant (1974); Ward and Burns (1994); USA Today / Fodor's (1996); Pepe (2003); Robinson and Jennison (2004)
FAN TIPS: Bruce Orser (blueprints, many archival photos), A. G. Bassett, Matt Visco, Peter Piroso, Dave Peck, Ira Pastor, Josh Geiswite
