This Day in Baseball History
2008 - The New York Yankees play their final game at Yankee Stadium
Eighty-five years after it was built, the New York Yankees close the doors of the iconic Yankee Stadium.
A star studded group of alumni takes the field a final time as Yogi Berra, Whitey Ford and Reggie Jackson are among those in attendance to pay their respects to the cathedral that once housed the likes of Babe Ruth, Lou Gehrig, Joe DiMaggio, Mickey Mantle and many others.
“It’s remarkable,” Yankees rookie Phil Coke tells the New York Times regarding the legends in attendance. “Totally and completely blows my mind. I turn around and look over and see Goose Gossage walking around our clubhouse. Wow.”
While the move is only a short one - the new $1.5 billion Yankee Stadium is just across the street - the final game is as a sombre celebration.
"You can't move that history across the street," Yankee fan Zinay Varadarakan tells the New York Daily News. "It's like a wake."
"If an icon like this can go away, then it makes you question your own significance," 53-year-old fan John Graziadei, who has been coming to the Stadium for 43 years.
New York would go on to win the game 7-3 over the Baltimore Orioles on a pristine day in the Bronx, bringing their record to 4,133-2,430-17 at the stadium that opened in 1923.
"I feel like I'm losing an old friend," Jackson, an eight-time All-Star with the Yankees tells ESPN. "I'm glad I was here."
Birthdays
1963 - Cecil Fielder
1972 - Scott Spiezio
1985 - Antonio Bastardo