Yankee Stadium is the home of the New York Yankees of Major League Baseball (MLB). Yankee Stadium is in the Bronx borough (district) of New York City , New York . There have been two Yankee Stadiums. The first opened in 1923 and was used through 2008. The second and current Yankee Stadium opened in 2009.
The original Yankee Stadium was the largest and most luxurious baseball stadium of its time. It became known as the “House that Ruth Built” after Yankee legend Babe Ruth . Ruth, a power-hitting left-handed batter, hit numerous home runs over Yankee stadium’s short right field fence—a feature nicknamed the short porch that was just 295 feet (90 meters) down the line. Ruth had his greatest seasons during the early years of the stadium and helped make the Yankees the most successful franchise in baseball history. Yankee Stadium was only 281 feet (86 meters) down the left field line, but the wall angled sharply to a deep 395 feet (120 meters) in straightaway left and a cavernous 460 feet (140 meters) in left-center. The park’s deepest point in center field was a nearly unreachable 490 feet (150 meters). The ballpark was built to hold around 57,000 fans, but crowds often greatly exceeded that number.
Yankee Stadium was closed for major renovations in 1974 and 1975. During those two seasons, the Yankees played their home games at Shea Stadium, home of the team’s Queens borough rivals, the New York Mets . Yankee Stadium’s dimensions were somewhat evened out during the renovations, reducing the left and center field acreage and slightly enlarging right field. The aging ballpark was closed after the 2008 season and then torn down. The land was converted into a park.
The new Yankee Stadium was built next door to the old ballpark, and it reproduced many of the materials and design features of the original field. The new stadium consists of two structures. The limestone and granite exterior closely resembles the original Yankee Stadium façade. The interior stadium, fitted with a replica of the old stadium’s decorative frieze around the upper deck, rises above the exterior. From the outside, the two structures look like a single building. Dimensions in the new ballpark match the dimensions of the old stadium in its final years: 314 feet (96 meters) down both the right and left field lines; 385 feet (117 meters) to right-center; 408 feet (124 meters) to center field; and 399 feet (122 meters) to left-center. It holds around 50,000 spectators.
The first Yankee Stadium was the home of several professional football teams, including the New York Giants of the National Football League from 1956 to 1973. The old stadium was also the scene of many college football games, boxing matches, concerts, and papal Masses. The new stadium is home to New York City FC of Major League Soccer and hosts college football’s Pinstripe Bowl each December.
