Yankee Stadium Facts

April 18,1923: Yankee Stadium opens for the first time

October 15,1923: Yankees first World Series Victory

May 30, 1938: The crowd hits a record 81,841 at a game vs. Boston

May 28,1946: First Yankee Stadium night game

October 5,1953: Yankees win fifth straight World Series

October 8,1956: Don Larsen pitches only perfect game in a World Series and is the only man to do so.

October 4, 1965: The first Papal mass in the United States celebrated at Yankee Stadium

September 30, 1973: Last home game in the old stadium

April 15, 1976: Remodelled stadium is opened. (while remodelling, the Yankees played at Shea Stadium in Queens, New York)

The Beginning:In 1903, the New York Yankees were born. At first this ball club was called the Highlanders. It was not until 1908 that people had begun calling the Highlanders, the Yankees. In 1913, the name Yankees was official. The Yankees were new to town and the American League. Two National League teams already played in New York, the New York Giants and the Brooklyn Dodgers. In 1916,1917, and 1918 the Yankees have been able to turn a triple play at least once every year, tying the American League record for most consecutive triple plays.

The Twenties: The Yankees entered the 1920's as a poor team. Since the Giants had been around since 1883 and have won pennants in 1904, 1905, 1911, 1912, and 1913. The Giants won the World Series in 1905. The Dodgers too, have won pennants in 1899, 1900,1916 and 1920. In 1921 and 1922, the Yankees made it to the World Series, but lost, both times to the Giants. In 1926, they again made it to the World Series, but lost to the St. Louis Cardinals. In both 1927 and 1928, the Yankees won, once the World Series, once to Pittsburgh and once to the St. Louis Cardinals both in a 4-0 victory.
The House That Ruth Built: After playing on Polo grounds for almost twenty years, the owner of the Giants decided that it was time for the Yankees to get their own stadium. The owner and manager of the Giants thought that building a stadium in the Bronx would be the best, so that the Yankees may be forgotten. Babe Ruth and Huston, bought 11.6 acres of land in the Bronx and in 1923, it was completed. This stadium was built for pull hitters not straight on-power hitters.

The Thirties: Did the era of the twenties end? I think not. By 1939, the Yankees had won their fifth World Series title of the decade. Lou Gehrig had hit four consecutive home runs in one game on June 3, 1932. In that same year, they won the World Series against the Chicago Cubs. The Yankees went on to win four consecutive World Series between the years of 1936-1939. In June of the same year, Gehrig was asked to removed from the lineup and he went to the Mayo clinic and was diagonosed with amyotropic lateral sclerosis, which was deterioration of the central nervous system. That disease took on the name of Lou Gehrig's Disease. On Independence Day of 1939, Gehrig was honoured in Lou Gehrig Appreciation Day where he delivered his farewell speech.

With both Babe Ruth and Lou Gehrig, leaving the baseball industry, the Yankees brought in Joe DiMaggio in 1936. DiMaggio was an all around good player, with both the bat and running the bases.

The fourties: Although World War Two was going on, on both contiental fronts, the Yankees were still strong. They won the pennant and the World Series in 1941 and again in 1943 and 1947. During 1941, Joe DiMaggio reached base 56 consecutive on base record that still stands today. Also in 1941, Phil Rizzio joined the Yankees as a very talented shortstop. The two both left the United States in 1943, therefore missing the World Series that year, due to military assistance in World War Two. In 1946, Lawrence Peter Berra, better known as Yogi Berra became a superstar Yankee. Berra had been previously rejected by the Browns and the Cardinals and even was told that he would never be a ball player. Berra has played in the most World Series games than anyone else. Fourteen World Series victories, in his career.

The Fifties: Casey Stengal, most possibly one of the most prestegious managers and players of the fifties. He led the Yankees to ten pennants and five World Series victories. In 1956, Don Larsen pitched the only no-hitter in a World Series ever. That will be etched in peoples minds forever in baesball. Whitey Ford, one of the best pitchers in Yankees history was called up while still in his teen years to the minors. In a mere four years he was called up to join the majors. Ford won 9 out of 10 games, saving the Yankees their pennant that year. He left in 1951-1953 to join the military. When he returned he was named "Chairman of the Board". He was inducted to the Hall Of Fame in 1974 along with his teammate Mickey Mantle. Mantle's father bred his son to be a Major League Baseball player. Mantle Sr, made Mickey to be a switch-hitter (a person who can bat both sides of the plate), and made Mickey develop muscles through zinc mining. Elston Howard was the first African American man to play for the Yankees. Howard lived in a segregated part of town when he was in Florida for spring training. He was the only player not allowed to stay at the hotel with the Yankees while on their road trips. Although the color barriers remained, he was chosen to be on the All-Star team nine consecutives years. He was also the first African American man to be named MVP in the American League and he was the first Afican American manager.

The sixties: 1961 was a great year, but from there everything went downhill. In 1961, Roger Maris hits a home-run record of 62 homeruns in a season.

The seventies and eighties: The years in between were horrible. The people were no longer flocking to the Bronx to see the Yankees, Mickey Mantle, Yogi Berra, Whitey Ford all gone. Phil Rizzuto was out of the field and into broadcasting. That's where George Steinbrenner comes in. He bought the Yankees for ten million dollars and he still had more. Lots of it. Steinbrenner acquired Jim Hunter, otherwise known as "Catfish". He also acquired Reggie Jackson a big league slugger. Steinbrenner traded nearly half the team for Lou Piniella, Graig Nettles and Chris Chambliss. In the seventies, the Yankees moved to Shea Stadium, while Yankee Stadium was going over a major face-lift. In 1976, the Yankees won their first pennant under Steinbrenner ownership. Don Mattingly was called up in the mid-eighties and represented Yankeeism through an invisible mantle. Mattingly was awarded the American League batting title in 1984 and was voted Most Valuable Player in the American League. A back problem soon became a trouble for Mattingly who was close to a World Series in 1995, but lost it. The pain was so severe he had to give up the 1996 season.

The ninties: Under the new management of Stump Merill, the Yankees nearly fell apart, if it weren't for Don Mattingly. Mattingly kept the Yankees together. He prevented the team from dropping into the pit during the early ninties. Another superstar was in the making. Bernie Williams was signed in 1985, but wasn't brought to play with the Yankees until 1991. Williams came to the Yankees when he was only seventeen years old. Not only did Williams score, but he was one of the politest player of them all. Most New Yorkers could not figure Williams out. Williams was a classical guitar player on a Fender Stratocaster. Most were thinking, is this guy a musician or a ballplayer? Andy Pettitte signed with the Yankees in 1991 from a junior college in Texas. Pettitte had impressed Joe Girardi, the Yankee catcher with Pettitte's consistency in pitching. In 1996, the Yankees were in the World Series against The Atlanta Braves. The Yankees were down 3 games to zero, the Yankees came back to win four in a row to take the World Series title. In 1998, they swept the San Diego Padres in four games. During the regular season they won 114 games. Unfortunately during game 3 of the ALCS, Darryl Strawberry was diagnosed with colon cancer and was not able to play. After the season was over, Joe Torre, the manager that had won two World Series titles in three years was diagonosed with colon cancer and had surgery. Into the beginning of the 1999 season, Joe Torre was not with them and had spent time recouperating. In that time, Don Zimmer, the bench coach had taken over. Darryl Strawberry was also not with the Yanks due to drug use and hiring of a prostitute. He went to trial and re-joined the team when the rosters expanded in September. The Yankees made it to another World Series, their third in four years, and won in a sweep against the Atlanta Braves. The Yankees clinched their twenty-fifth World Series victory. The Yankees were named Team of the Century and Team of the Decade.