Monument Park (Yankee Stadium)

For other uses of the term Monument Park, see Monument Park (disambiguation).

Monument Park at the new Yankee Stadium

Monument Park is an open-air museum located at the new Yankee Stadium containing a collection of monuments, plaques, and retired numbers honoring distinguished members of the New York Yankees.

The original Monument Park was created when the old Yankee Stadium fence was moved in 44 feet during a late 70's renovation, enclosing prior monuments, plaques, and a flag pole previously on the field of play. Over time, additional plaques were added to the original centerfield wall and "Monument Park" became formalized. When the Yankees moved to their new ballpark in 2009 a replica Monument Park was built beyond the center-field fences and the contents of the old transported over.

Plaques in Monument Park are a great honor for players so distinguished. Those mounted posthumously on five large red granite blocks are the highest honor of all. Only five Yankees have been so recognized: players Lou Gehrig, Babe Ruth, Mickey Mantle, and Joe DiMaggio, and manager Miller Huggins.

History

Precursor

The original placement of the monuments in deep center field at the pre-renovated Yankee Stadium.

The original Yankee Stadium was built in 1923. As with many other so-called Jewel Box ballparks of the era the flag pole in was placed in play. With an generous center field dimension of 500' straightaway there was plenty of room for it without materially interfering in play. In 1929, Yankees manager Miller Huggins died suddenly, and in his honor the team erected a free-standing monument in front of the flag pole consisting of a bronze plaque mounted on an upright block of red granite resembling a headstone.

The Huggins monument was later joined by similar memorials to Lou Gehrig and Babe Ruth erected upon their deaths. Over time a number of plaques were mounted behind them on the outfield wall. Placing monuments in the field of play was not so unusual at the time, as there had been in-play stones and plaques at the Polo Grounds and Forbes Field. In 1969, Mickey Mantle was given a plaque by Joe DiMaggio to hang on the center field wall, who in turn gave Joe DiMaggio a plaque of his own which, in Mickey's words, had to be hung a little bit higher than his.

While the monuments were very far from home plate, a batted ball still sometimes made it back there. In the 1992 book The Gospel According to Casey, by Ira Berkow and Jim Kaplan, it is reported that on one occasion a Yankees outfielder had let the ball get by him and was fumbling for it among the monuments. Manager Casey Stengel hollered to the field, "Ruth, Gehrig, Huggins, somebody get that ball back to the infield!"

Monument Park I

The original Monument Park consisted of a row of monuments with plaques lining the wall behind them

When Yankee Stadium was remodeled in the 70's, the center field fence was moved in to 417' from its previous 457'; a subsequent reduction brought the fence in again to 410'. This enclosed the area, formerly in play, containing the flag pole and monuments. As this fenced in area between the two bullpens gathered additional plaques on the original wall it began to be referred to as "Monument Park".

With the formalization of the area as an official Monument Park the Mantle and DiMaggio plaques were removed from the wall upon their deaths and mounted on red granite blocks matching the original three of Huggins, Gehrig, and Ruth.

It was an achievement for a home run to reach Monument Park on the fly. Among those who did so were Thurman Munson (in Game 3 of the 1978 American League Championship Series) and Alex Rodriguez (in August 2005).

Monument Park was open to fans during most game days at Yankee Stadium and was also part of the public tour of Yankee Stadium.

Monument Park II

The second Monument Park.

When the Yankees moved to their new ballpark, the Yankees established a new Monument Park in the new stadium^[1] An area was built behind the fence in straightaway center field, below the Mohegan Sun Sports Bar that serves as the batter's eye. Built of pearl blue granite from Finland, this new monument park features the five Yankee monuments in a central area around a black marble Yankees logo. This is flanked by two short stone walls which hold the retired numbers. The plaques are mounted on the back wall and the September 11th monument is on one end of the park.

In contrast to the old stadium, the new Monument Park is not readily visible from the field, and its relatively drab appearance and inconspicuous placement have led some to derisively nickname it "Monument Cave."^[2][3]

Honorees

Honored baseball members

The following players and other Yankees personnel are honored with monuments or plaques in Monument Park. Monuments are considered a greater honor than plaques, and are only awarded posthumously.^[4]

Often, the uniform number of the player being honored is retired in the same ceremony. Such events historically often took place either at home openers or on Old Timers' Day, but have lately been scheduled on separate weekend home games. Figures are listed in the order in which their plaques were dedicated:

Plaques lined the rear wall of the original Monument Park

Key

Honoree	Name of the honoree
Position(s)	Fielding position(s) or role in the organization
Yankee career	Years with the Yankee organization
Number retired (x)	Date number retired (and number), if applicable
Plaque	Date plaque dedicated, if applicable
Monument	Date monument dedicated, if applicable
	Elected to the Baseball Hall of Fame

Honoree	Position(s)	Yankee career	Number retired	Plaque	Monument	Ref
Huggins, MillerMiller Huggins	Manager	1918–1929	18 !—	01932-05-30 May 30, 1932	01932-05-30 May 30, 1932	[5]
Gehrig, LouLou Gehrig	First baseman	1923–1939	01939-07-04 July 4, 1939 (#4)	01941-07-06 July 6, 1941	01941-07-06 July 6, 1941	[6]
Ruppert, JacobJacob Ruppert	Owner	1915–1939	19 !—	01940-04-19 April 19, 1940	06 !—	[7]
Ruth, BabeBabe Ruth	Right fielder	1920–1934	01948-06-13 June 13, 1948 (#3)	01949-04-19 April 19, 1949	01949-04-19 April 19, 1949	[8]
Barrow, EdEd Barrow	General manager	1921–1946	20 !—	01954-04-15 April 15, 1954	07 !—
DiMaggio, JoeJoe DiMaggio	Center fielder	1936–1951	01952-04-18 April 18, 1952 (#5)	01969-06-08 June 8, 1969	01999-04-25 April 25, 1999	[9]
Mantle, MickeyMickey Mantle	Center fielder	1951–1968	01969-06-08 June 8, 1969 (#7)	01969-06-08 June 8, 1969	01996-08-25 August 25, 1996	[10]
McCarthy, JoeJoe McCarthy	Manager	1931–1946	21 !—	01976-04-29 April 29, 1976	08 !—
Stengel, CaseyCasey Stengel	Manager	1949–1960	01970-08-08 August 8, 1970 (#37)	01976-07-30 July 30, 1976	09 !—	[11]
Munson, ThurmanThurman Munson	Catcher	1969–1979	01979-08-02 August 2, 1979 (#15)	01980-08-09 August 9, 1980	10 !—	[12]
Howard, ElstonElston Howard	Catcher / Outfielder	1955–1967	01984-07-21 July 21, 1984 (#32)	01984-07-21 July 21, 1984	11 !—
Maris, RogerRoger Maris	Outfielder	1960–1966	01984-07-21 July 21, 1984 (#9)	01984-07-21 July 21, 1984	12 !—
Rizzuto, PhilPhil Rizzuto	Shortstop / Broadcaster	1941–1956, 1957–96	01985-08-04 August 4, 1985 (#10)	01985-08-04 August 4, 1985	13 !—	[13]
Martin, BillyBilly Martin	Second baseman / Manager	1950–1957, 1975–1978, 1979, 1983, 1985, 1988	01986-08-10 August 10, 1986 (#1)	01986-08-10 August 10, 1986	14 !—	[14]
Gomez, LeftyLefty Gomez	Pitcher	1930–1942	22 !—	01987-08-01 August 1, 1987	15 !—
Ford, WhiteyWhitey Ford	Pitcher	1950–1967	01974-04-06 April 6, 1974 (#16)	01987-08-01 August 1, 1987	16 !—
Dickey, BillBill Dickey	Catcher	1928–1946	01972-04-18 April 18, 1972 (#8)	01988-08-21 August 21, 1988	17 !—
Berra, YogiYogi Berra	Catcher / Outfielder	1946–1963	01972-04-18 April 18, 1972 (#8)	01988-08-21 August 21, 1988	18 !—
Reynolds, AllieAllie Reynolds	Pitcher	1947–1954	23 !—	01989-08-27 August 27, 1989	19 !—	[15]
Mattingly, DonDon Mattingly	First baseman	1982–1995	01997-08-31 August 31, 1997 (#23)	01997-08-31 August 31, 1997	20 !—	[16]
Allen, MelMel Allen	Broadcaster	1939–1964, 1976–1989	24 !—	01998-07-25 July 25, 1998	21 !—	[17]
Sheppard, BobBob Sheppard	Public address announcer	1951–2007	25 !—	02000-05-07 May 7, 2000	22 !—	[18]
Jackson, ReggieReggie Jackson	Right fielder	1977–1981	01993-08-14 August 14, 1993 (#44)	02002-07-06 July 6, 2002	23 !—	[19]
Guidry, RonRon Guidry	Pitcher	1975–1988	02003-08-23 August 23, 2003 (#49)	02003-08-23 August 23, 2003	24 !—	[20]
Ruffing, RedRed Ruffing	Pitcher	1930–1946	26 !—	02004-07-10 July 10, 2004	25 !—	[21]
Robinson, JackieJackie Robinson	Second baseman	—	01997-04-15 April 15, 1997 (#42)	02007-04-17 April 17, 2007	26 !—	[22]
Steinbrenner, GeorgeGeorge Steinbrenner	Owner	1973–2010	26 !—	02010-09-20 September 20, 2010	02010-09-20 September 20, 2010	[23]

Miller Huggins never wore a number on his uniform, and so no number is retired in his honor. Although the Yankees adopted uniform numbers in 1929, McCarthy never wore a number as Yankee manager, and so no number has been retired in his honor.

The Jacob Ruppert plaque was placed on the outfield wall, to the right of the flagpole. The Lou Gehrig monument was placed to the left of the Huggins monument. Gehrig was the first Major League Baseball player to have his uniform number retired.^[24] The Babe Ruth monument was placed to the right of the Huggins monument. The Ed Barrow plaque was placed on the wall, to the left of the flagpole.

The plaque in the first Monument Park in honor of Jackie Robinson.

The Mantle and DiMaggio plaques were mounted side-by-side on the outfield wall, Mantle's, as former Yankee publicist Marty Appel noted in his own memoir, was slightly lower than DiMaggio's as Mantle had suggested. These were the last plaques to be placed in play. The 1974–1975 renovation of Yankee Stadium added a new shorter centerfield fence, effectively enclosing the original wall they were hung on as what came to be known as Monument Park.

In honor of Jackie Robinson's unique place as the first black player of the modern era, his number 42 was retired throughout baseball on April 15, 1997, the 50th anniversary of his debut with the Brooklyn Dodgers. The Yankees erected a plaque for Robinson^[22] reading: "In becoming the first Major League player to break the color barrier, Jackie will forever be an inspiration with his grace, dignity and perseverance. His story and the stories of those who never had the same opportunity must never be forgotten." 42s were also painted in front of each dugout. Players active at the time of the number's retirement in 1997 were granted a special exemption (grandfather clause) permitting them to continue wearing the number for the remainder of their careers; the last such player still active is Yankee relief pitcher Mariano Rivera.

Other honorees

In addition to baseball related recognitions the Knights of Columbus donated plaques in honor of the Masses celebrated at Yankee Stadium by Pope Paul VI on October 4, 1965; Pope John Paul II on October 2, 1979; and Pope Benedict XVI on April 20, 2008.

The Yankees also dedicated a monument to the victims and rescue workers of the September 11, 2001 attacks on September 11, 2002, the first anniversary of the attacks. It was placed in the back right corner.

Monument Park I photo gallery

• 

  Miller Huggins's Monument

• 

  Lou Gehrig's Monument

• 

  Babe Ruth's Monument

• 

  Mickey Mantle's Monument

• 

  Joe DiMaggio's Monument

• 

  Jacob Ruppert's Plaque

• 

  Monument Park from the stadium's pressbox

• 

  The September 11th Monument

Monument Park II photo gallery

• 

  Monument Park

• 

  Monument Park and surrounding area

• 

  Roger Maris's plaque

See also

Media related to Monument Park (Yankee Stadium) at Wikimedia Commons

• New York Yankees award winners and league leaders

References

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2. ^ Madden, Bill (2009-05-09). "An open letter to Boss: Please, fix Yankee Stadium". New York Daily News. http://www.nydailynews.com/sports/baseball/yankees/2009/05/09/2009-05-09_madden_an_open_letter_to_boss__please_fix_your_stadium.html. Retrieved 2009-05-23. 
3. ^ "Impressions of the Opener". The Lohud Yankees Blog. The Journal News. 2009-04-16. http://yankees.lhblogs.com/2009/04/16/impressions-of-the-opener/. Retrieved 2010-08-24. 
4. ^ Brunell, Evan (2010-08-24). "Steinbrenner to be honored in Monument Park". CBS Sports (CBS Sports). http://www.cbssports.com/mcc/blogs/entry/22297882/24087040/. Retrieved 2010-09-11. 
5. ^ "Mayor to Speak at Unveiling Of Huggins Memorial Today - Free Preview - The New York Times". Select.nytimes.com. 1932-05-30. http://select.nytimes.com/gst/abstract.html?res=F50615FC385A13738DDDA90B94DD405B828FF1D3. Retrieved 2010-08-28. 
6. ^ . http://news.google.com/newspapers?id=xMA0AAAAIBAJ&sjid=a00DAAAAIBAJ&pg=6129,7032381. Retrieved 2011-10-28. 
7. ^ . http://news.google.com/newspapers?id=xJYRAAAAIBAJ&sjid=9OMDAAAAIBAJ&pg=3541,2915903. Retrieved 2011-10-28. 
8. ^ Roden, Ralph (April 20, 1949). "Six Home Teams Score Victories in Opener". St. Petersburg Times. http://news.google.com/newspapers?id=LswKAAAAIBAJ&sjid=VU4DAAAAIBAJ&pg=3655,6203626. Retrieved September 18, 2009. 
9. ^ "An American icon: DiMaggio honored at Yankee Stadium with monument". Sports Illustrated. Associated Press. April 25, 1999. http://sportsillustrated.cnn.com/baseball/mlb/news/1999/04/25/dimaggio_honored/. Retrieved September 17, 2009. 
10. ^ Ira Berkow (August 26, 1996). "A Final, Sweet Ovation for Mantle". New York Times. http://www.nytimes.com/1996/08/26/sports/a–19final–19sweet–19ovation–19for–19mantle.html. Retrieved September 17, 2009. ^{[dead link]}
11. ^ . http://news.google.com/newspapers?id=XRwLAAAAIBAJ&sjid=VVIDAAAAIBAJ&pg=3364,193949. Retrieved 2011-10-28. 
12. ^ . http://news.google.com/newspapers?id=tccsAAAAIBAJ&sjid=OhMEAAAAIBAJ&pg=5246,898824. Retrieved 2011-10-28. 
13. ^ Kerber, Fred (2007-08-14). "For 'dreamer' Scooter, a moo-ving day". New York: Nydailynews.com. http://www.nydailynews.com/sports/baseball/yankees/2007/08/14/2007-08-14_for_dreamer_scooter_a_mooving_day.html. Retrieved 2010-08-28. 
14. ^ . http://news.google.com/newspapers?id=UNIpAAAAIBAJ&sjid=QMoEAAAAIBAJ&pg=4479,6719460. Retrieved 2011-10-28. 
15. ^ . http://news.google.com/newspapers?id=BwwPAAAAIBAJ&sjid=TIQDAAAAIBAJ&pg=3356,4665551. Retrieved 2011-10-28. 
16. ^ Chass, Murray (1997-09-01). "ON BASEBALL - Mattingly's Monument To Effort". NYTimes.com. http://www.nytimes.com/1997/09/01/sports/mattingly-s-monument-to-effort.html. Retrieved 2010-08-28. 
17. ^ "ALLEN JOINS YANKEE IMMORTALS - The Record (Bergen County, NJ)". Highbeam.com. 1998-07-25. http://www.highbeam.com/doc/1P1-22384301.html. Retrieved 2010-08-28. 
18. ^ Madden, Bill (2000-05-08). "FOR ONCE, SHEPPARD IS SPEECHLESS Yanks hail keeper of names". New York: Nydailynews.com. http://www.nydailynews.com/archives/sports/2000/05/08/2000-05-08_for_once__sheppard_is_speech.html. Retrieved 2010-08-28. 
19. ^ Lupica, Mike (2002-07-06). "Reggie Means World To Yanks". New York: Nydailynews.com. http://www.nydailynews.com/archives/sports/2002/07/06/2002-07-06_reggie_means_world_to_yanks.html. Retrieved 2010-08-28. 
20. ^ "BASEBALL - BASEBALL - Yankees Pay Tribute to Guidry". NYTimes.com. 2003-08-24. http://www.nytimes.com/2003/08/24/sports/baseball-yankees-pay-tribute-to-guidry.html. Retrieved 2010-08-28. 
21. ^ By David Moses / MLB.com (2004-07-10). "Ruffing finally gets his plaque | yankees.com: News". Newyork.yankees.mlb.com. http://newyork.yankees.mlb.com/news/article.jsp?ymd=20040710&content_id=794774&vkey=news_nyy&fext=.jsp&c_id=nyy. Retrieved 2010-08-28. 
22. ^ ^{a b} "ESPN - Yankees honor Robinson - MLB". Sports.espn.go.com. 2007-04-18. http://sports.espn.go.com/mlb/news/story?id=2841235. Retrieved 2010-08-24. 
23. ^ Marchand, Andrew (2010-09-20). "Yanks unveil Steinbrenner monument". espn.go.com. http://sports.espn.go.com/mlb/news/story?id=5597711. Retrieved 2010-09-20. 
24. ^ "The Official Web Site". Lou Gehrig. 1932-06-03. http://www.lougehrig.com/about/achievements.htm. Retrieved 2011-10-28.