Though I live in the Bronx, a 10-minute train ride away from Yankee Stadium, I had never visited the relatively new home of the New York Yankees baseball team. That changed on Wednesday, when a colleague and I were treated to a behind-the-scenes tour of the stadium, which opened in 2009. Though it holds 47,422 fans on game days, the seats were empty as we explored the Yankees museum, got close to the plaques in Monument Park, and even sat in the dugout and took in the view at field level.
Note: Due to Coronavirus, in-person tours of Yankee Stadium are currently suspended. Yankee Stadium just launched free, virtual tours of the stadium.
The New York Yankees Museum
First stop on our tour was the stadium's Yankees Museum, which displays memorabilia from the franchise's long and storied history, including World Series rings, championship trophies, jerseys from famous players, and a display of what must be hundreds of balls signed by Yankees players.
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A statue of Yankees great Don Larsen, who pitched a perfect game in Game 5 of the 1956 World Series, the only perfect game or no-hitter ever to have been thrown in World Series history. Beside the statue are autographs of Yankees stars from the past. |
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As small sample of the many autographed balls on display in the Yankees Museum. |
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The locker or the late Yankees catcher Thurmon Munson, who died in an airplane crash in 1979. His locker-room space was preserved, unusued, after his death and moved to the new Yankee Stadium and installed in the museum when it opened in 2009. |
Monument Park at Yankee Stadium
We next moved on to Monument Park, where Yankees greats from the distant past to more recent times are honored with plaques. In addition, the space honors some who weren't Yankees players, including Jackie Robinson, Major League Baseball's first African American player, Nelson Mandela, who once visited the stadium, and the popes who have held Mass there. There is also a memorial to the victims of 9/11.
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Plaques honoring two of the most well-known and beloved Yankees greats: Babe Ruth and Lou Gehrig. |
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A couple of recent Yankees superstars–pitchers Mariano Rivera and Andy Petite–are among the many honored in Monument Park. |
The Yankee Stadium Dugout
The tour ended with a visit to the dugout, where we were able to step onto the field, sit on the benches where the players sit during games, and stand at the railing from which the manager and coaches watch and guide the game.
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A view into the dugout at Yankee Stadium. |
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A field-level view from the dugout as workers tend to home plate. |
Views of the Stadium
To me, the most exciting part of the tour was merely getting to experience the views of the field, stands empty, from different vantage points.
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A look at the field as we desended the stairs to the field and dugout. |
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A World Series trophy on display, with a gorgeous view of the stadium in the background. |
See the Yankees website for more information on tours.
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