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Flashback: Yankee Stadium Opening Day, 1923
By
Jen Carlson
Published Apr 19, 2011
Modified Apr 19, 2011
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By
Jen Carlson
Published Apr 19, 2011
Modified Apr 19, 2011
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On April 18th, 1923 (that's 88 years and 1 day ago) Yankee Stadium (version 1.0, R.I.P.) opened up to the public, with tickets going for $1.10. Following opening day, the Daily News wrote: "Up on the banks of the Harlem River yesterday afternoon 'Babe' Ruth opened a new baseball park known as the Yankee Stadium. With something like 65,000 fans—the greatest crowd that ever saw a big league game of ball—looking on, 'Babe' in the third inning dedicated the new Yankee home with a four-base drive into the right field bleachers with two mates on." (The Yankees ended up winning against the Boston Red Sox that day, 4 to 1.)
Prior to opening day the roads around the stadium were overgrown and unpaved (as you can see in the picture to the right), but by game time the NY Times reported, "the paving of the streets around the arena will have been finished and motorists will find it an easier task to drive up to the gates. The new subway station at 161st Street was in service yesterday, and the Yanks will soon be all set for the season."
More on the good ol' days of Yankees baseball can be found here.
Tagged
1923
baseball
flashback
opening day
yankee stadium
Yankees
Jen Carlson
Jen Carlson is a former WNYC and Gothamist editor.
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