The Yankees would join them in Flushing for the 1974 season, giving them some company. In 1974 and 1975, the Bronx Bombers needed a temporary home while Yankee Stadium was being renovated, thus they played at Shea Stadium. The Yankees played their first game at Shea on April 17, 1974, losing 1-0 to the Mets. They won their next game there, 4-3 over the Padres.
Shea Stadium had been built in 1969 by the New York Mets as their home ballpark. It was supposed to be a replacement for old Fenway Park, which the Mets had left when they moved to New York City. But after two years of poor attendance (20,000 per game in its first year) and financial problems (the team lost $500,000), the Mets decided to sell off some of their most expensive tickets for use as bank collateral. This is how rumors began that Joe DiMaggio's family was forced to sit in the last row of the stadium so they could qualify for a government insurance program!
In both games, thousands of fans showed up to see their favorite players (Yanks: George Foster; Mets: Fred Norman).
In 1974 and 1975, the Yankees shared Shea Stadium with the Mets, as well as the New York Jets and Giants. They relocated to the same-named stadium in 2009, which was built adjacent to the former facility, which had been shuttered and dismantled. The club is consistently in the top 10 in MLB attendance.
Shea Stadium opened on March 17, 1964. The Yankees played their first game there that day, losing 1-0 to the San Francisco Giants. The original Yankee Stadium had been closed after the 1963 season due to renovations, so this was also the first game at the new ballpark for both teams. The Mets also moved into their new home that day, opening it with a 7-4 victory over the Chicago Cubs.
Shea Stadium was originally known as Ebbets Field after its Brooklyn Dodgers namesake. When owner Walter O'Malley moved the team to Los Angeles in 1958, he kept the name for his new stadium. After O'Malley died in October 1960, his family sold the team to another group who wanted to move the team back to Brooklyn, but this time under the Yankees name. So in January 1961, the Yankees moved into their new home while the Mets began play there the following April.
The venue was dedicated to the memory of Fred Hartig, who owned the rights to the name Brooklyn Dodgers. He allowed the Mets to use it provided they paid him half of their revenue stream.
During the 1974 and 1975 seasons, the New York Yankees played their home games at Shea Stadium while Yankee Stadium was being restored. The stadium opened on April 14, 1964, with a 10-1 win over the Chicago White Sox. The final game at Old Yankee Stadium was on September 21, 1976, when the Yankees lost to the Boston Red Sox 4-3 in 11 innings.
Shea Stadium had an opening day ceremony on March 31, 1974. The Yankees played their first game at the new stadium that afternoon, losing 1-0 to the Los Angeles Dodgers. It took until May 2 for the Yankees to beat the San Diego Padres 3-2 at Shea Stadium. The Yankees finished up their season at Fenway Park where they lost two of three to the Red Sox.
Shea Stadium had a total capacity of 40,095 people during its time as the home of the Yankees. That number would have been higher if not for several restrictions put in place by the New York City Council regarding player safety. The council banned players from running with the ball because they found this dangerous. They also refused to allow any stands beyond the foul lines to be used for batting practice or games (these are known today as protected areas).
From 1923 through 1973, and again from 1976 to 2008, the team's home games were played at the old Yankee Stadium....
| New York Yankees | |
|---|---|
| Major league titles | |
| World Series titles (27) | 1923 1927 1928 1932 1936 1937 1938 1939 1941 1943 1947 1949 1950 1951 1952 1953 1956 1958 1961 1962 1977 1978 1996 1998 1999 2000 2009 |
The club was created in 1901 in Baltimore, Maryland, then relocated to New York in 1903. Yankee Stadium has been the home of the New York Yankees since 1923. However, the Yankees relocated to a new stadium, also known as Yankee Stadium, for the start of the 2009 season. The original Yankee Stadium is now used by the New York City Football Club of Major League Soccer.
After the Orioles moved to New York, they played their home games at Columbia Park in Columbia, which is approximately 15 miles south of Manhattan. The park opened in 1891 and was located between Harlem and Central Park West on what is now called "Oriole Park Drive." After the Orioles left, the park was sold to real estate developer Harry S. Curtis who built two large apartment houses on its grounds. One of these buildings remains today at 1260 Park Avenue. In 1914, the New York Giants played one game there against an All-Star Team. That same year, it was also used for a college football game between Columbia and Princeton.
The Yankees played their first three seasons (1901-03) in Baltimore's new Federal League ballpark, Baltimore's National League franchise, which was playing in those years, had withdrawn itself from the league after one season. So the Yankees played their first four seasons outside of New York City. From 1904 to 1909, they played their home games at Philadelphia's Philadephia Athletics' Athletic Park.
Today marks the 30th anniversary of August 4, 1985. On a Sunday afternoon, the Yankees were slated to face the Chicago White Sox at the original Yankee Stadium. However, due to rain delays, the game was moved to the new Yankee Stadium. As it turned out, this would be the last time the old stadium would host an MLB game.
The Yankees sent left-hander Mike Flanagan to the mound for the first game of the season against Chicago's Danny Jackson. The White Sox hit three home runs in the first inning and went on to win 7-3. New York opened the season with a loss to the Los Angeles Dodgers in their opener at Dodger Stadium.
In his first at-bat of the season, George Foster hit a home run off of Flanagan that landed in the right-field stands. The Yankees responded by scoring four runs in the second inning on a single by Bucky Dent, a double by Tony Fernández, and two-out RBI hits by Paul O'Neill and Kevin Maas. The Yankees held on to defeat Chicago 7-4. In the third game of the season, New York lost to the Oakland Athletics at Oakland-Alameda County Coliseum, 3-1.
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