A Farewell to Yankee Stadium

I can’t say I’m not disappointed, but I do find it depressing that the final game at Yankee Stadium will not be played in the month of October. Yankee Stadium is rich in history. The World Series was played there in 39 years of its history. It hosted 4 All-Star games. It was home to Ruth, Gehrig, DiMaggio, and Mantle. Munson, Mattingly, Rizzuto, Murcer. Reggie, Whitey, Red, Lefty. Elston Howard, Bill Dickey, Doc, Paul O’Neill, Tino, Roger. Bernie, Jeter, Jorge, Mo. Mel Allen and Bob Sheppard. The façade, the bleacher creatures, the 2-strike clap, and the monuments were founded. Perfection has been accomplished here.

With the new Yankee Stadium opening up in 2009, here is a list of the greatest moments in Yankee Stadium. Before I reveal my top moments, here are some notable moments that were not in the top 10. Roger Maris’ 61st homerun, Derek Jeter’s dive into the stands, David Cone’s and David Wells’ perfect games. Curt Schilling’s bloody sock performance in the 2004 ALCS, Nelson Mandela’s speech, Notre Dame vs. Army football game, the boxing matches, the concerts, the movies and television shows filmed, and the papal visits. Those were key highlights in the illustrious history of Yankee Stadium, but not the most prominent in its history.

10. July 15, 2008 (The 2008 All-Star Game)
Commissioner Bud Selig thought it would be a good idea to play the All-Star game in Yankee Stadium in its final season. The game was an instant classic. The All-Star futures game and other festivities were great, but the Homerun Derby was also astounding, including Josh Hamilton’s memorable performance by hitting 28 homeruns in the 1st round of the Derby, several of which measured over 500 feet in distance. Hamilton lost to Justin Morneau in the finals and many thought the Homerun Derby could not be topped. The pre-game ceremonies in the All-Star game were unforgettable. 49 living Hall-of-Famers attended the game as a celebration to the final season at the House that Ruth Built. It was a commemoration of the past stars and present stars in baseball history. The game began as a pitcher’s duel, scoreless through 4 innings. Matt Holliday broke the tie in the 5th with a solo homerun. In the 7th inning, J.D. Drew of the Boston Redsox had a clutch at-bat, hitting a game-tying 2-run homerun off Reds’ pitcher Edinson Volquez. Jon Papelbon entered the All-Star game with controversy, saying that he wanted to close out the game in such situation instead of Yankees’ pitcher Mariano Rivera. Padres’ first baseman Adrian Gonzalez hit a go-ahead sacrifice fly off Papelbon in the 8th inning. In the bottom half, Rays’ rookie hitter Evan Longoria was sent to the plate as a pinch-hitter and hit a game-tying ground-rule double. Mariano Rivera was brought into the game though no save situation and was stupendous. Rivera pitched 1.2 innings with 2 strikeouts. The game went on, inning after inning. The American League had many missed opportunities in extras, failing to score in bases loaded, nobody out chances. Marlins’ 2nd baseman Dan Uggla had a game to forget, making 3 errors in the field in the extra innings. In the bottom of the 15th inning, Michael Young hit a game-winning sacrifice fly to end the game, scoring Morneau. The game was over 4:50 in time. J.D. Drew was awarded the All-Star game MVP.

9. July 24, 1983 (George Brett’s Pine-Tar Game)
An ordinary game between the Yankees and the Royals turned out to be one of the most-renowned games in baseball history. In the 9th inning of the game, the Yankees had a 4-3 lead with Goose Gossage on the mound. George Brett stepped up to the plate with a runner on and hit a rocket over the fence to give the Royals a 5-4 lead. After Brett crossed the plate, Yankees’ manager Billy Martin came out to talk to the umpires, questioning whether Brett had the proper amount of pine tar on his bat. Umpire Tim McClelland took the bat and measured it against home plate. After the measurement, it became aware that he used too much pine tar. The umpires ruled Brett out and the homerun nullified. Brett, in one of the most notorious outrages in baseball, and maybe even sports history, stormed out of the dugout furiously and fought with the umpires. The Royals later protested the game and it was upheld by American League president Lee MacPhail. The game was later resumed on August 18, 1983 with the Royals up 5-4 with the homerun standing in the 9th inning with Brett ejected for his actions. The Royals won the game 5-4, on George Brett’s homerun.

8A. December 28, 1958 (The Colts-Giants NFL Title Game)
This game has been classified as the greatest football game ever played. On December 28, 1958, the New York Giants and the Baltimore Colts clashed at Yankee Stadium. The high-powered Colts’ offense and the strong Giants’ defense was the main headline entering the game. The Colts were up 14-3 at halftime, but late in the game, the Giants came back courtesy of a Frank Gifford touchdown run, which gave them a 17-14 lead. Johnny Unitas led the Colts to a late drive, but ended in a game-tying field goal. Tied after regulation, the game went into sudden-death overtime, something that had not occurred before. In overtime, Johnny Unitas and the Colts had a long, 80 yard drive to the Giants’ 2 yard line. At the 2, running back Alan Ameche ran the ball into the end zone, giving the Colts the 23-17 victory in front of over 64,000 fans.

8B. June 22, 1938 (Joe Louis vs. Max Schmeling Boxing Match; The Second Fight)
This was one of the most historical boxing matches of all time, and it took place at Yankee Stadium. It was American Joe Louis against German Max Schmeling. The match was known as “American freedom vs. Hitler’s Third Reich.” It was American Freedom vs. Aryan Dominance. Their first fight took place June 19, 1936, also at Yankee Stadium and Schmeling won in 12 rounds. This fight would be totally different. Louis came right out of the corner on fire, hitting Schmeling directly several times. Hits to the head and the jaw sent Schmeling to the ground in only the first round. 2 minutes and 4 seconds was the duration of the classic fight. Louis got his redemption against Schmeling. This was more than a boxing match between an American and a German. This was a boxing match that led to “world supremacy.”

7. October 9, 1996 (Jeffrey Maier’s Catch)
The Yankees and the Baltimore Orioles clashed in an ALCS battle in the 1996 postseason. The Yankees, led by new manager Joe Torre had looked to play in their first World Series since the 1980s. In the 8th inning of game 1, Derek Jeter stepped up to the plate. Jeter hit a long fly ball to deep right field. Orioles’ outfielder Tony Tarasco was on the warning track and leaped for the ball, but did not make the catch. Instead, 12-year old Jeffrey Maier reached over the fence to grab the ball. It was ruled a homerun, but Tarasco thought it would be ruled fan interference. The umpires upheld the ruling of a homerun and it turned out to be the first of many clutch hits for Jeter. Maier’s catch tied the game and allowed the Yankees to win it in extra innings on a walk-off homerun by Bernie Williams. Maier’s catch was all over the tabloids and he became famous for it.

6. October 14, 1976 (Chris Chambliss’ Homerun)
George Steinbrenner had been frustrated with his ballclub, seeing as how they had not won a World Series since the 1960s. However, the Yankees and the Royals were in another historical game, but this time in the playoffs. In the decisive game 5 of the 1976 ALCS, the Yankees had a 6-3 lead going into the 8th inning. George Brett hit a game-tying 3-run homerun. With the game tied at 6, Chris Chambliss stepped up to the plate. Royals’ pitcher Mark Littell delivered a pitch, and Chambliss cranked it over the right-center field wall for a homerun. The homerun propelled the Yankees to the World Series. The lasting image of the game is the fans storming the field, celebrating as Chambliss rounded the bases. This is my personal favorite Yankee Stadium moment, mainly because of the crowd’s reaction.

5. October 18, 1977 (Reggie Jackson’s 3-Homerun Game)
The Yankees faced the Los Angeles Dodgers in the 1977 World Series. The Yankees entered the game with a 3-2 series lead. In one of the most significant years in New York history with the Son-of-Sam murderer, there needed to be some ray of light on the mind of a typical New Yorker in 1977. Luckily, Reggie Jackson gave hope. Jackson had hit 2 homeruns in the series already, but this game was something special. In game 6 of the World Series, Reggie Jackson stepped up to the plate in the 4th inning. The Dodgers were up 3-2 at the time. Jackson hit the first pitch he saw from the Burt Hooton offering over the fence, giving the Yankees a 4-3 lead. In the 5th inning, Jackson stepped up to the plate again, but this time to a new pitcher, Elias Sosa. It was no difference for Jackson, the same result occurred, a 2-run homerun on the first pitch of the at bat. With the Yankees up 7-3 in the 8th inning, Jackson made his last at-bat of the World Series. He made that just as special: a solo homerun that traveled an estimated 475 feet. Reggie’s 3-homerun game is one of the best performances in World Series history.

4. July 4, 1939 (Lou Gehrig’s Farewell Speech)
Lou Gehrig, known as the “Iron Horse”, played in 2130 consecutive games. Gehrig was a Yankee legend, hitting 493 career homeruns. He was a 2-time AL MVP award winner and had 6 World Series rings. His career was cut short due to a disease known as Amyotrophic Lateral Sclerosis, which is now known as “Lou Gehrig’s disease.” ALS can cause paralysis and has no cure. On June 21, 1939, Gehrig announced his retirement from the sport. Less than 2 weeks later, Gehrig announced his goodbyes. Gehrig said “Today I consider myself the luckiest man on the face of the earth” in his farewell speech. Those 13 words live on in the hearts of many Gehrig supporters and Yankee fans. The day he proclaimed his departure, the Yankees retired the number 4 that he wore in his honor. Applause for Gehrig was given for nearly 2 minutes. A bit less than 2 years after he declared his retirement, Gehrig died of the disease he was suffering from.

3. October 16, 2003 (Aaron Boone’s Homerun)
The Yankees and the Redsox had already engaged on one of the most crucial series in their rivalry that had several brawls already, but game 7 of the 2003 ALCS was something else. The Redsox jumped out to an early 4-0 lead and knocked out Yankee pitcher Roger Clemens out of the ballgame early. The Yankees came back with 2 homeruns by Jason Giambi which was the Yankees’ first 2 runs of the game. In the 8th inning, Redsox manager Grady Little made a questionable decision leaving in pitcher Pedro Martinez to face Hideki Matsui with 2 on. Matsui doubled, scoring Derek Jeter and Bernie Williams, cutting the deficit from 3 runs to only 1. Little left in Martinez to face catcher Jorge Posada, but that proved unsuccessful for the Redsox as Posada hit a bloop double down the right field line that scored Matsui and tied the game at 5. The field was shaking with cheers. The Yankees brought in Mariano Rivera, their closer, to pitch 3 innings of game 7. Rivera did so, allowing no runs to the Boston hitters. In the bottom of the 11th inning, the Yankees sent up Aaron Boone, who was earlier inserted into the game as a pinch runner. Redsox pitcher Tim Wakefield, who had pitched a scoreless 10th inning, delivered the pitch to Boone. The first pitch of the at-bat, Boone made contact. The ball sailed down the left field line, staying fair, and going over the wall in left field. Boone’s walk-off homerun sealed the Yankees’ victory and sent them to the World Series in come-from-behind fashion. Though the Yankees ended up losing the 2003 World Series to the Marlins in 6 games, the ALCS will never be forgotten.

2. October 30, 2001 – November 1, 2001 (2001 World Series Heroics)
September 11, 2001 was one of the most frightening days in the lives of an American. 4 commercial flights were hijacked by extremists in the middle-east. 2 of them crashed into the Twin Towers in New York City, 1 of them into the Pentagon in the Washington DC area, and 1 of them in a field in Pennsylvania. America needed some reassurance that it was safe and worry-free. On October 30, 2001, President George W. Bush threw out the ceremonial first pitch to Derek Jeter. Chants of “U-S-A” were heard amongst the sell-out crowd. The Yankees won that game over the Arizona Diamondbacks 2-1 courtesy of a Scott Brosius RBI single in the 6th inning. In game 4 of the World Series, Halloween night, the Yankees were trailing in the 9th inning 3-1. With Paul O’Neill on first, Tino Martinez stepped up to the plate. Tino hit the pitch from Byung-Hyun Kim over the right-center field wall for a game-tying homerun. In the bottom of the 10th inning, still tied at 3, Derek Jeter came up to the plate. As the clock struck midnight on Halloween, baseball had reached where it had not gone before: November. At midnight, Derek Jeter hit Kim’s pitch over the short porch in right field for a walk-off homerun. Jeter became known as “Mr. November” for that clutch hit. With the series tied at 2, game 5 also took place at Yankee Stadium. The Yankees found themselves down by 2 runs again heading into the 9th inning. With Jorge Posada on base, Scott Brosius hit a deep fly ball off Kim over the left field fence for a game-tying homerun. Alfonso Soriano, the Yankees’ 2nd baseman at the time, drove in Chuck Knoblauch for the game-winning run. Knoblauch pinch ran for designated hitter David Justice earlier in the game. Although the Yankees lost the World Series in 7 games to Arizona, the heroics by Tino, Jeter, and Brosius will live in history.

1. October 8, 1956 (Don Larsen’s Perfect Game)
In game 5 of the 1956 World Series between the Yankees and the Brooklyn Dodgers, Don Larsen took the mound. Previously in the series, Larsen allowed 4 runs in 2 innings. Even Larsen was surprised that he would be pitching the critical game. Larsen had a perfect game going through the first 3 innings, and it would be like that for the next 3, and the next 2. Larsen went into the 9th inning, facing the minimum 24 batters. Larsen was just 1 batter away from the first no-hitter in postseason history, let alone World Series history. Dale Mitchell was the batter for Brooklyn who was the last to face Larsen in game 5. Larsen threw a 1-2 pitch on the outside part of the plate for strike 3. Catcher Yogi Berra leaped into Larsen’s arms in celebration. Larsen threw a mere 97 pitches in his effort. Larsen’s perfect game earned him the World Series MVP award for the 1956 World Series. The crowd of over 64,000 cheered as the Yankees celebrated perfection. The Yankees won the World Series in 7 games, but Larsen’s perfect game is the highlight of it.