7. April 18, 1923 – Yankee Stadium opens
Love them or hate them, the New York Yankees iconic original “House that Ruth built” was one of the most historical ball parks in the game’s history.
On April 15th in 1923, the team opened their first season in their new ballpark. The Yankees had lost the last two World Series, in spite of winning 98 and 94 games, so the team had expectations to do well, but there had never been a championship in New York for the Yankees, so those expectations were quite there yet, but the big bat in the middle of the lineup was drawing enough fans that it made the new park a wise investment.
Fittingly, the game was against the Yankees rival, the Red Sox. Over 74,000 fans saw Bob Shawkey for the hometown club take on Howard Ehmke. True to his stature as the one who provided the thrill to warrant building the new home field, Babe Ruth hit a home run, going 1-2 with a pair of walks on the day to open “his” house.
Before it closed following the 1973 season, the original Yankee Stadium saw 20 World Series champions, including one in the first season of the new park, christening the new digs with the organization’s first championship!
Next: Bum's big day