New York Yankees Play Final Game In Yankee Stadium

The New York Yankees current home may be called Yankee Stadium, but it is not The House that Ruth Built. Known as The House that Ruth Built, the original Yankee Stadium was home to the Yankees one last time on this day in 2008.

It was The House that Ruth Built, a stadium as iconic as the team that called it home. Yankee Stadium, home of the New York Yankees since 1923, aside from a few years when it was closed for renovations, was seeing its final days. The first year of the stadium coincided with the Yankees first championship, a place where greats like Babe Ruth, Lou Gehrig, and Mickey Mantle played on the same surface as contemporary stars like Derek Jeter and Mariano Rivera.

And yet, like everything, the time had come for Yankee Stadium to step aside. A new stadium was built across the street, the second incarnation of Yankee Stadium, with a new Monument Park and the same facade. The original Yankee Stadium, which had undergone extensive repairs in the mid 1970s and needed major renovations in later years, was no longer viable.

On this day in 2008, the Yankees bid their old ballpark a fond farewell. The gates were opened seven hours early, allowing fans to stroll around the warning track one last time. The American League championship flag from the 1922 season, raised when the ballpark first opened its doors, was brought out and flown once more. All time greats, like Willie Randolph, Whitey Ford, and Reggie Jackson, amongst others, came back to pay their respects. The Yankees sat on the dugout roof, taking in the scene before them.

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Then, it was game time. In a game that felt like a World Series contest, the New York Yankees sent their home out in style, picking up a 7-3 victory. Babe Ruth had hit the first home run at Yankee Stadium; Jose Molina hit the last. Andy Pettitte, another all time great Yankee in his own right, fittingly picked up the victory. Mariano Rivera, the greatest closer the game has ever seen, recorded the final out, making sure that the ball was saved for George Steinbrenner.

It was a sad day for the history of the game. The legends of the past had an added weight at the original Yankee Stadium, and if one looked close, their ghosts could be seen on the field. History was, literally, coming to an end.

However, the Yankees did their part to make sure that the final game was one to remember. The living legends were out in force, as were the children of those greats who had passed. Babe Ruth’s daughter threw out the first pitch, and two Yankee legends of current era worked in tandem to get the victory.

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Yankee Stadium was given the perfect sendoff on this day in 2008. The venerable home of the New York Yankees finally closed its gates for good.