Clem's Baseball home

Fans' impressions of
Yankee Stadium



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Andrew Clem, Staunton, VA -- Aug 29, 2006 15:35 PM
1 visit(s). My rating: 7
After dreaming about it for 40+ years, I finally seized the opportunity to make a pilgrimmage to this grand basilica in the Bronx on July 22, 2004. The #4 subway train (Green Line express, highly recommended) emerges from the ground just before it reaches Yankee Stadium, giving us a brief glimpse of the field from the train through the gap between the bleachers and the grandstand, where the right-field bullpen used to be. Both outside and inside, it is truly magnificent, beautiful, and awe-inspiring, more than living up to my expectations. Even though I had scrutinzed photos of the place for years, I found myself disoriented more than once as we walked around the perimeter. Overall, the physical condition of the stadium is pretty good, and the bathrooms are clean. If you want a beer, you can choose between Bud Light, Bud Light, or Bud Light. Attendance that day was about 54,000, nearly full, and I had to push hard through the massive crowd outside to get my tickets at the Will Call window. The Yanks beat the Blue Jays, 1 - 0, in a tense pitchers' duel between Orlando "El Duque" Hernandez and Ted Lilly. We had a great panoramic view from the upper deck near the right field corner, but much of right field was completely out of sight. Fortunately, the game-winning home run hit by Ruben Sierra landed in a spot beyond the center field fence that was visible from our seats, though just barely. To my surprise, the main scoreboard was awful: the old fashioned light bulbs (25 watts?) in it made it hard to read the score. We could hardly see the video screen in right center either. Fortunately, the brightly colored mini scoreboards on the front edges of the second deck were much better. After the game I found plenty of shops underneath the subway station where you can buy souvenir items at decent prices.


michael Fronda, Montreal, AL -- Oct 01, 2006 13:19 PM
10 visit(s). My rating: 8
Yankee Stadium diagrams are awesome, but there is one tiny error. The distance to the LF bullpen area was 387 ft in 1976 (after the renovation). It was shortened to 379 after the fences were drawn in 1985. The distance is not clear now since the those markers (including the 353 in RF) have been removed. I suspect it's even closer these days, but that's just a hunch.


James Sutton, St. Louis, MO -- Oct 09, 2006 15:17 PM
1 visit(s). My rating: 7
I visited Yankee Stadium in 1997 with my cousin. We had press passes so we were able to be down on the field before the game. I am glad that the Yankees are building their new park right next to the old one. The location in the Bronx is where they belong. You can't help but feel the history when at Yankee. I hate the Yankees with a passion but I do respect their tradition and the house that Ruth built. I can't say that that I can complain much about it. It did seem a little cramped and the only reason I rate it a 7 is based on the post remodeling of the 1970's. Sure, it gave the stadium an extended life, but stripped it of a lot of its character and identity. What I wouldn't give to have experienced Yankee in it's hey day before they remodeled it.


John Crozier, New York, NY -- Jun 08, 2007 13:51 PM
10 visit(s). My rating: 7
Although I am young, my respect for the history of the New York Yankees and Yankee Stadium is tremendous. I have many books about the Yanks and Yankee Stadium which shows pictures of the Old Stadium. My first visit to the Stadium was on September 27, 2003 against the Baltimore Orioles. The highlights of the game for me were Juan Rivera's 2 home runs and Roger Clemens' last regular season start in Pinstripes, which is more special now that Clemens is back. Great diagrams! Keep up the good work. P.S. The only reason I rate Yankee Stadium a 7 is because after the '75-'76 renovations, most of the history was erased. I am overjoyed that the Yankees and George Steinbrenner, who recognizes the history and tradition of the stadium is building a new stadium next door which has more of the look and feel to the old stadium than the current one.


Martin Freund, Phoenix, AZ -- Jun 05, 2008 16:34 PM
10 visit(s). My rating: 9
It was simply referred to as "The Stadium" as I was growing up among three NY ballparks back in the 50's. One might as well substitute the word "Heaven". Space does not permit more elaboration, so let me just say that I live in view of Chase field in Phoenix, and there is no comparison as far as baseball ambiance goes. Yankee Stadium had flags flapping around the roof perimeter, light standards, and the stench of cigars and beer. Now that's baseball at its best. From the first row behind 3rd base (where the tarp used to sit rolled up), I sat as a 12 year old on October 1, 1961, and watched as Roger Maris hit a high fly ball that was high as the 108 foot Stadium roof. As the ball headed toward the packed right field stands, I watched the right fielder look up, drop his arms, and watch the ball land over his head into an abnormally frenzied crowd. It was number 61 for Rajah, and the ball was worth $5,000 to the fan that caught it. Oh yes..I have it all on an 8mm home movie that my Uncle took that day.


Joe Johnston, Covington, LA -- Jul 05, 2008 19:46 PM
3 visit(s). My rating: 7
1. July 4, 1963. Doubleheader, split w. White Sox. Stadium was full of charisma as we could see in from 161st Street walking there from the hotel. Arches were surprisingly green, not the yellow/white seen in the backdrops of baseball cards. (Copper does that.) Saw Elston Howard hit batting practice into the Death Valley bleachers. Good lower deck seats, RF line. Sat behind a drunk standing in seat heckling Maris. 2. Stadium tour, July 17, 2007. Nice chat w. tour guide afterwards, who agreed with me that the new Stadium under construction would have looked better with original dimensions. Players wanted/got modern dimensions. 3. Game that night. Yanks beat Toronto in 10, so we got our money's worth. Front row mezzanine, near RF foul pole. Usherette fussed at us for placing our hot dogs on rail in front of us. Great place.


Jim Meyer, Overland Park, KS -- Jul 28, 2008 23:14 PM
1 visit(s). My rating: 8
I was very pleasantly surprised on my one and only visit to the "House That Ruth Built". Although my seat was in the very top row of the upper deck down the right field line, I was pleased by how close to the action I really was. Hearing Bob Sheppard, the Yankees' legendary PA announcer, in person was quite a treat, too. One treat I missed, unfortunately, was Monumment Park (and that was my fault for not getting to the ballpark earlier). The only negatives I saw for Yankee Stadium were: (1) The location; despite all the efforts NYC has made to clean it up, the neighborhood around the Stadium is still a dump. (2) Access by car is a major headache; lots of traffic jams and not much parking. (3) The Yankees need to make better choices of music they play over the PA system; too much loud, angry hip-hop, rap and head-banger music.


Charles Alvarez, Bronx, NY -- Aug 02, 2008 10:30 AM
10 visit(s). My rating: 9
I have lived in The Bronx my entire life, and despite being a die-hard Mets fan, I was fortunate that I have had many friends whom have had season tickets to Yankee Stadium. The best place that I have ever seen a sporting event at. The stadium is filled with charm and character, I even got to see footbal games here, albeit high school football games and even then, the stadium is a wonderful place to enjoy a sporting event. I played baseball and football at the new Yankee Stadium site and I will be sad to see the old stadium come down.


mike c, new york, NY -- Nov 12, 2008 19:44 PM
10 visit(s). My rating: 5
u forgot to add the 2003 world series


John Grace, Concord , MA -- Mar 03, 2009 13:41 PM
1 visit(s). My rating: 6
I went to Yankee right before it closed down. I thought that it would be nice, but it was a dump. There were cardboard boxes lying all over the ground. I know that they built a new 500 milion doller stadium, but keep a few mils to pay the cleaning people.


Evan McElfresh, Houston, TX -- Mar 07, 2009 16:25 PM
10 visit(s). My rating: 9
I grew up in New York during the '50's when EVERYBODY was a Giants, Dodger or Yankee fan-there were neighborhood taverns & you could tell by the beer sign in the window what game would be on the TV (Ballantine/Yankees,Scheafer/Dodgers,Rupert/Giants). My first game at the Stadium was with Cub Scouts & we sat out in the left field bleachers until our grown-up chaperones started keeling over from the heat: They let us cross over the Senators (visitors) bullpen & go into the upper deck of the grandstand.Like all kids who watched the fuzzy 50's B&W TV's & played ball on the mostly dirt & brown weed "fields" of the day the first sight of the green grass & the deep red warning track at the Stadium was unforgettable. Those were the great Yankee teams of Mickey,Yogi,Whitey,Casey & Billy & a few years later the M&M Boys HR derby year 1961; How about that!!??


Stefanos K, Boston, MA -- Apr 11, 2009 11:04 AM
1 visit(s). My rating: 1
In April of 2005 I came here to see a Red Sox-Yankees game. and it was a waste of money I sat in the upper deck the incline was horrible somebody fell to the bottom of the upper deck.Before the game I went into thr very stinky bathroom into a stall where someone forgot to flush so I didn't try their hot dogs.This place is bad as the Yankees themseves I'm glad i'll meet the wrecking ball.


Stefanos K, Boston, MA -- Apr 26, 2009 13:24 PM
1 visit(s). My rating: 1
Yo Clem I read your review and are you a yankee fan? After the 1970's rebulding I find the outside no better than Cinergy Field and the bathrooms are no cleaner than the stainless steel ones in my nearby park the sightlines are bad and there is barely a choice of food in Fenway there is 1000 foods to choose from and even Amstel Beer. Good riddace to the worst stadium ever built.


Joseph Fitzhenry, MECHANICSBURG, PA -- Aug 12, 2009 16:20 PM
10 visit(s). My rating: 7
THE reason i rate it a seven is because well 1 im a Yankees fan, two food there is great, and three well i agree with that guy from boston the incline is horrible and the bathrooms stunk but the history there could never be replaced or re done.


Miguel V, Grand Rapids, MI -- Sep 03, 2009 00:26 AM
1 visit(s). My rating: 9
I went to the fourth to last game at Yankee Stadium with my friend Mac and his dad on Sept. 18, 2008. We got to skip two days of school for the road trip. On the way to Yankee Stadium we stopped in Williamsport, Pa to see the Little League World Series fields and it was so cool. Just thinking about walking into the famous and legendary stadium gave me CHILLS. Then when I finally saw my first glimpse of those giant blue letters spelling out YANKEE STADIUM, and that giant bat shapped smoke stack I felt like I was going to pass out. The first step I took into that beautiful stadium I was speechless. My first thought was that it was HUGE! I couldn't believe I was in the stadium that Babe Ruth played in. I saw that famous copper facade, the amazing green grass, my favorite player ARod taking batting practice. The stadium was so well maintained it looked almost like new. I was in BASEBALL HEAVEN. Seeing the greatest(and my favorite) baseball team beat the White Sox 9-2 Plus being in the greastest baseball stadium ever built is a memory I will never forget.


Alex J, Winter Park, FL -- Oct 29, 2009 11:08 AM
1 visit(s). My rating: 2
I got to see one game only, in OLD Yankee Stadium, around 1966 vs. Angels. School trip so we had lousy seats in upper deck, first base side. Stupid support beams blocking several views of field. Couldn't see score board in right field. Couldn't even hear the announcer - so if you didn't know the player's number or checked the program, you didn't know who was batting. Yankees were starting to stink by then, so there were as many boos as there were cheers. Do remember Tom Tresh hitting a home run though, left field, just to right of 402 ft sign. I just remember being real disappointed about the view, not being able to hear Bob Sheppard, and only being able to see the smaller scoreboard in left field. On later school trips, I went to Shea to see the Mets. Nose bleed seats but at least could see and hear! I'm sure the renovated stadium and the new stadium are much better.


Ted R, Hartford, CT -- Apr 09, 2010 23:41 PM
10 visit(s). My rating: 9
I must have been to this stadium 20 times, starting back when I was four in 1998. My dad had first bought Sunday tickets in 1988, and we made the trip two or three times a year. The stadium may have lost some of its class during the 1976 renovation, but the memories it has given me and many other Yankees fans overcomes that completely. Some other people think that the stadium and bathrooms are not the prettiest, but I would take this ballpark over the frilly new one. I haven't been to a game at the new one, since the team jacked our ticket package up 20$ a game. Amazingly, our final game of the 2008 season happened to be that of the ballpark, and that turned out to be the saddest night of my life. There was something bittersweet about standing in our seats after the game ended, singing "New York, New York" god knows how many times and cherishing the final moments of a truly historic cathedral. Thanks for the memories.


Bradley D, NY, # -- Jan 10, 2012 20:10 PM
1 visit(s). My rating: 8
Went there in 2005. It has so much history. It remind me of walking into Madison Square Garden. You just feel over whelmed with everything. Great sight lines but the seats were old and a little uncomfortable. Easy to park and get in and out of. Even though the renovation in the 1970s took away from the history it is sad to see it go. Just a better reason to see the new stadium.


Wesley Kahnert, Franklin, TN -- Jan 04, 2013 11:30 AM
10 visit(s). My rating: 8
I saw several games here prior to Steinbrenner's raping of tradition. This park was not the same after the redesign in the mid-1970's. It was an old, decaying park in the 1960's, but when the Yankees were still winning, it was great to sit in the RF bleachers and hope for a few pulled homers to come your way. It was also great talking to Hector Lopez when he occasionally played right instead of the aloof Roger Maris. To me, a park's personality is how it plays, and its dimensions and quirks make it what it is. Steinbrenner lobotomized Yankee Stadium when he changed its layout. It could have been refurbished without getting rid of Death Valley. CF became just another outfield afterwards. 8-rating is for pre-1975 era. Rating would be 4 afterwards.


Ed Katzman, Chicago, IL -- Aug 01, 2014 13:05 PM
2 visit(s). My rating: 7
Two memorable visits. First as a 14 year old in 1970. We were on our way to Europe and we stopped in NYC for a few days. My dad had been to NYC a lot for business but it was the first visit for the rest of the family. As luck would have it, my beloved White Sox were in town. I remember being surprised how big the stadium was and how the posts obstructed a lot of views. I'm sure we lost, as the Sox that year lost 106 games, their most ever. The second was in the rebuilt park, the fifth game of the '76 AL Championship, vs the Royals. Having been born in KC, the Royals were my second favorite team. We sat in the top deck near the RF foul pole. KC behind in the 8th, by three as I recall. With all the pressure, George Brett goes yard to tie the game. I'm the only one cheering. Of course, Chambliss sneaks one over the wall in the bottom of 9 and we lose.


Zach LaFleur, Fowlerville, MI -- Mar 24, 2017 19:22 PM
1 visit(s). My rating: 5
Be it known that I never went to a game here in person, but have seen Yankee Stadium many times on TV, but I see how they could have totally enclosed it with the triple decked grandstand (quintuple deck when you count the suites installed in 1976). The field size could have been just as big, just that the upper levels would be close to the fence in of all places deep right center field and straight away center! There might have been an overhang here as well, with the shallowest depth of stands here as well?


Shane Schirmer, Medina, OH -- Oct 09, 2019 16:38 PM
2 visit(s). My rating: 9
To tear this place down is just a shame. So much history. Baseball was revered here! I haven't been to the new place, and to be honest, I don't have much interest, but old Yankee Stadium? Oh yeah, that was a masterpiece! The facade in the outfield, monument park, death valley in left center...all fantastic stuff. They should be ashamed for bulldozing this place.


Zachary LaFleur, Fowlervillle, MI -- Jul 06, 2022 18:25 PM
1 visit(s). My rating: 7
Great job with all of the new diagrams as well as some additional information about amount of seating rows in each deck, Andrew. One thing tat you may want to add is the 1985-87 field diagram. All dimensions are the same as 1976-84, however center field is 410 feet deep straight away, however left center field is 411 feet! I thought that w a s sort of odd back when I had sent Tigers at Yankees games on the Detroit Tiger Baseball Network back then when I was 11-13 years old.


Zachary LaFleur, Fowlervillle, MI -- Jul 06, 2022 18:49 PM
1 visit(s). My rating: 7
Just a correction from what I wrote earlier, with that new inner fence in left center field, straight away left field shrunk from 387 feet to 379 feet in 1985, and stayed that way through 2008 when this Stadium closed and was replaced by the new Yankee Stadium for 2009 onward.



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