Yankee Stadium affectionately called the house that Ruth built, after the starring player who in part made it all possible. The Yankees started out sharing a field with their rivals the New York Giants. Once the Yankees had Babe Ruth aboard, the tension between the two teams reached all time highs. When Ruth drew in 1.3 million fans in his first year with the team relations were further strained. By the time the Yankees won the pennant in 1921, and then lost to the Giants in the World Series their rivals suggested they find somewhere out of the way to build their own park. That is exactly what they began looking to do.
Originally, there were several locations considered for the new stadium, Queens and Manhattan were both strongly considered with Manhattan nearly winning out before the owners, Houston, and Ruppert decided on an old lumber mill within walking distance and in view of the Giants field. They paid 600,000 dollars to William Waldorf Astor for the property and promptly went to work on a stadium that would cost in the neighborhood of 2.5 million dollars. Remember folks this was 1921, not present day, which was a considerable amount of money to risk on a stadium like no one else had ever built.
Houston and Ruppert were determined to build a stadium that would seat sixty thousand people in a time when most teams played in thirty thousand seat facilities. They came up against opposition to the plan but when asked to justify it they simply called on the name of their star player Babe Ruth. There was also talk about how New York could not support three major league teams, which was a valid point but Houston and Ruppert were convinced that their team would not suffer at all. Fact is they were right by the 1950's both the Giants and the Brooklyn Dodgers would leave for California.
On opening day there were seats for 58,000 fans, the released number in attendance was over seventy thousand with over twenty thousand turned away. It was later admitted that those numbers were not exactly accurate, however; it would not be uncommon in the 30's to see crowds of 80,000 or more.
Yankee Stadium was the very first three-tiered stadium built in the United States as well as the first to officially be named a stadium. All other ball teams were playing in parks or fields not stadiums. The men behind this great vision took a great financial risk that paid off. They created the building with many firsts being achieved, first sixty thousand-seat stadium, first stadium name, first multi-use facility?. After so much history and firsts, this year would see a series of lasts.
On Sept 21 2008, the last game was played at Yankee Stadium, finally answering the question asked over eighty years ago; Babe Ruth said, ?I was glad to have hit the first home run in this park. God only knows who will hit the last.? The lasts were recorded as this:
1)Last home run- Jose Molina
2)Last hit- Jason Giambi
3)Last run- Brett Gardner
4)Final Pitch ? Mariano Rivera
5)Last out ? Cody Ransom
6)Last Yankee to bat- Derek Jeeter
The new park should be ready to open soon and when it is ready, the former Yankee Stadium will be demolished, the old giving way to the new. It will be a day of mixed emotions for many fans.
