From Surf Wiki (app.surf) — the open knowledge base

Monument Park (Yankee Stadium)

Open-air museum in Yankee Stadium

Summary

Open-air museum in Yankee Stadium

Field	Value
name	Monument Park
image	Yankees retired numb monument park.jpg
image_size	300
caption	Monument Park at Yankee Stadium
coordinates
former_name
established
dissolved
location
founder	New York Yankees
parking
website
embedded

Monument Park is an open-air museum located in Yankee Stadium in the Bronx, New York City. It contains a collection of monuments, plaques, and retired numbers honoring distinguished members of the New York Yankees of Major League Baseball.

The history of the original Monument Park can be traced to the original Yankee Stadium in 1932, when the team posthumously dedicated an on-field monument to manager Miller Huggins in center field. Additional team members were honored with monuments and plaques in the area over the years. During the stadium's renovation in the mid-1970s, the center field fence was moved in 44 ft, enclosing prior monuments, plaques, and the flag pole outside the field of play. Over time, additional plaques were added; in 1985, the park was opened for public access. When the Yankees moved to their new ballpark in 2009, Monument Park was built beyond the center-field fences and the contents of the old one transported over.

Thirty-seven members of the Yankee organization have been honored in Monument Park, while 22 have had their uniform numbers retired. An additional honor, a monument mounted on a large red granite block, has only been awarded to six Yankees: manager Miller Huggins, players Lou Gehrig, Babe Ruth, Mickey Mantle, and Joe DiMaggio, and owner George Steinbrenner.

History

Precursor

The original Yankee Stadium was built in 1923. As with many other jewel box ballparks of the era, the flag pole was placed in play. With a 500 ft distance to straightaway center field, the flag pole rarely interfered in play. Yankees manager Miller Huggins died suddenly in 1929, and the team erected a free-standing monument in front of the flag pole in his honor on May 30, 1932, between games of a Memorial Day doubleheader.

Yankee Stadium]] in the 1950s, with the monuments and flag pole in the field of play

In 1936, the center field fence was moved in from 490 ft to 461 ft from home plate, but the flagpole and the Huggins monument remained in play. The Yankees dedicated a plaque on the center field fence for Jacob Ruppert in 1940 A plaque was dedicated to Ed Barrow in 1954. In 1969, Mickey Mantle and Joe DiMaggio were honored with plaques in the same ceremony; Mantle suggested that DiMaggio's plaque should be hung a little bit higher than his. During Old-Timers' Day on July 22, 1972, the Yankees retired No. 8 for Yogi Berra and Bill Dickey.

Despite the distance, a batted ball still sometimes made it to the monuments. 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

When Yankee Stadium was remodeled from 1974 to 1975, the center field fence was moved in to 417 ft. The flag pole and monuments were relocated from center field to an enclosed area, formerly occupied by bleachers, beyond left-center. As this fenced-in area between the two bullpens gathered additional plaques on its wall, it began to be referred to as "Monument Park". It was inaccessible to fans. With the formalization of the area as an official Monument Park as the stadium reopened in 1976, new plaques were announced for managers Joe McCarthy and Casey Stengel, as well as a plaque memorializing Pope Paul VI's 1965 visit to Yankee Stadium.

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

Yankees catcher Thurman Munson died in a plane crash on August 2, 1979; the Yankees retired his No. 15 on August 4 On July 21, 1984, which was Old-Timers' Day, the Yankees retired No. 9 for Roger Maris and No. 32 for Elston Howard while also dedicating plaques to both.

The Yankees moved the center field fence in to 410 ft, so that the Yankees could make Monument Park accessible to fans prior to most games at Yankee Stadium. Monument Park was also part of the public tour of the venue. The Yankees retired No. 10 for Phil Rizzuto in August 1985 and No. 1 for Billy Martin in August 1986, while dedicating plaques for both.

In honor of Jackie Robinson, his No. 42 was retired throughout baseball on April 15, 1997, the 50th anniversary of his major league debut. The Yankees erected a plaque for Robinson. Players active at the time of the number's retirement in 1997 were granted a special exemption permitting them to continue wearing the number for the remainder of their careers; the last such active player to wear No. 42 was Yankee relief pitcher Mariano Rivera.

When Red Ruffing's plaque was dedicated in 2004, his son called it "the second-greatest honor you can have in baseball, in my opinion" trailing only induction into the National Baseball Hall of Fame.

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 attacks on September 11, 2002, the first anniversary of the attacks.

Monument Park II

When the Yankees moved into the new Yankee Stadium after the 2008 season, the Yankees established a new Monument Park behind the fence in straightaway center field, below the Center Field 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 11 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". Spectators can visit Monument Park prior to the beginning of each game. It closes 45 minutes before first pitch.

The Yankees honored Rivera by retiring his uniform number on September 22, 2013, during his final season, making him the first active player to be enshrined in Monument Park. Mantle wore his No. 7 when he coached the Yankees in 1970, even though it was retired the previous year, while Berra wore his No. 8 while he coached the Yankees from 1976 through 1985, though it was retired in 1972. Similarly, when Martin returned to manage the Yankees in 1988, he wore his No. 1, which had been retired in his honor in 1986.

In 2014, the Yankees dedicated plaques in Monument Park for Joe Torre, Paul O'Neill, Tino Martinez, and Goose Gossage, and retired No. 6 in honor of Torre. In 2015, the team dedicated plaques for Jorge Posada, Andy Pettitte, Bernie Williams, Mel Stottlemyre, and Willie Randolph, and retired the numbers of Pettitte (No. 46), Posada (No. 20), and Williams (No. 51). The Yankees dedicated a plaque to Rivera on August 14, 2016, and retired Derek Jeter's No. 2 and dedicated a plaque for him on May 14, 2017. They retired No. 21 for O'Neill on August 21, 2022.

The Yankees dedicated a plaque to Nelson Mandela on April 16, 2014, to commemorate his life and 1990 visit to Yankee Stadium. On June 25, 2019, the Yankees dedicated a plaque commemorating the 50th anniversary of the Stonewall Inn Uprising, which sparked the modern day movement for LGBT rights in the United States.

Baseball honorees

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 have only been awarded posthumously.

Retired numbers lined the rear wall of the original Monument Park

Retired number for [[Jackie Robinson]] in the original Monument Park

Honoree	Position(s)	Number retired (x)	Plaque	Monument
Name of the honoree
Fielding position(s) or role in the organization
Date number retired (and number), if applicable
Date plaque dedicated, if applicable
Date monument dedicated, if applicable
Elected to the Baseball Hall of Fame
Recipient of the Hall of Fame's Ford C. Frick Award

Honoree	Position(s)	Number retired	Plaque	Monument	Career w/ Yankees	Ref
Manager				1918–1929
First baseman	(No. 4)			1923–1939
Owner				1915–1939	url=https://news.google.com/newspapers?id=xJYRAAAAIBAJ&sjid=9OMDAAAAIBAJ&pg=3541,2915903	title=Yankees Will Honor Col. Jacob Ruppert	agency=Associated Press	page=13	newspaper=The Spokesman-Review	date=April 9, 1940	access-date=October 28, 2011}}
Outfielder	(No. 3)			1920–1934
General manager				1921–1945
Outfielder	(No. 5)			1936–1942, 1946–1951
Outfielder	(No. 7)			1951–1968
Manager				1931–1946
Manager	(No. 37)			1949–1960
Catcher	(No. 15)			1969–1979	url=https://news.google.com/newspapers?id=tccsAAAAIBAJ&sjid=OhMEAAAAIBAJ&pg=5246,898824	title=Yankee Fans Pay Tribute to Catcher	newspaper=Star-News	page=3–B	date=August 4, 1979	access-date=October 28, 2011}}
Catcher / Outfielder	(No. 32)			1955–1967	url=https://news.google.com/newspapers?id=clNaAAAAIBAJ&sjid=n0wNAAAAIBAJ&pg=4719,2581429	title=The Man Who Beat The Babe	newspaper=Waycross Journal-Herald	page=6	date=July 24, 1984	access-date=April 18, 2012}}
Outfielder	(No. 9)			1960–1966
Shortstop / Broadcaster	(No. 10)			1941–1942, 1946–1956 (as player)
1957–1996 (as broadcaster)	last=Kerber	first=Fred	url=http://www.nydailynews.com/sports/baseball/yankees/2007/08/14/2007-08-14_for_dreamer_scooter_a_mooving_day.html	title=For 'dreamer' Scooter, a moo-ving day	newspaper=New York Daily News	date=August 14, 2007	access-date=August 28, 2010}}
Second baseman / Manager	(No. 1)			1950–1957 (as player)
1975–1979, 1983, 1985, 1988 (as manager)	url=https://news.google.com/newspapers?id=UNIpAAAAIBAJ&sjid=QMoEAAAAIBAJ&pg=4479,6719460	title=Yanks Retire Martin's Number	newspaper=Daytona Beach Morning Journal	page=5C	date=August 11, 1986	access-date=October 28, 2011}}
Pitcher				1930–1942	url=https://pqasb.pqarchiver.com/newsday/access/104526144.html?dids=104526144:104526144&FMT=ABS&FMTS=ABS:FT&type=current&date=Aug+03%2C+1987&author=By+Marty+Noble&pub=Newsday+%28Combined+editions%29&desc=Well%2C+2+Out+of+3+Ain%27t+BadYanks+aren%27t+overwhelmed+by+successful+weekend&pqatl=google	archive-url=https://archive.today/20130131195825/http://pqasb.pqarchiver.com/newsday/access/104526144.html?dids=104526144:104526144&FMT=ABS&FMTS=ABS:FT&type=current&date=Aug+03,+1987&author=By+Marty+Noble&pub=Newsday+(Combined+editions)&desc=Well,+2+Out+of+3+Ain't+BadYanks+aren't+overwhelmed+by+successful+weekend&pqatl=google	url-status=dead	archive-date=January 31, 2013	first=Marty	last=Noble	title=Well, 2 Out of 3 Ain't Bad: Yanks aren't overwhelmed by successful weekend	newspaper=Newsday	date=August 3, 1987	access-date=April 18, 2012}}
Pitcher	(No. 16)			1950, 1953–1967
Catcher	(No. 8)			1928–1943, 1946	url=https://pqasb.pqarchiver.com/boston/access/59659152.html?FMT=ABS&FMTS=ABS:FT&type=current&date=Aug+21%2C+1988&author=Dan+Shaughnessy%2C+Globe+Staff&pub=Boston+Globe+%28pre-1997+Fulltext%29&desc=IS+BALANCE+OF+AL+POWER+HEADED+WEST%3F&pqatl=google	archive-url=https://archive.today/20130131203525/http://pqasb.pqarchiver.com/boston/access/59659152.html?FMT=ABS&FMTS=ABS:FT&type=current&date=Aug+21,+1988&author=Dan+Shaughnessy,+Globe+Staff&pub=Boston+Globe+(pre-1997+Fulltext)&desc=IS+BALANCE+OF+AL+POWER+HEADED+WEST%3F&pqatl=google	url-status=dead	archive-date=January 31, 2013	first=Dan	last=Shaughnessy	author-link=Dan Shaughnessy	title=Is Balance Of Al Power Headed West?	newspaper=Boston Globe	date=August 21, 1988	access-date=April 18, 2012}}
Catcher / Outfielder	(No. 8)			1946–1963
Pitcher				1947–1954
First baseman	(No. 23)			1982–1995
Broadcaster				1939–1964, 1976–1990
Public address announcer				1951–2007
Outfielder	(No. 44)			1977–1981
Pitcher	(No. 49)			1975–1988
Pitcher				1930–1942, 1945–1946	first=David	last=Moses	work=MLB.com	url=http://newyork.yankees.mlb.com/news/article.jsp?ymd=20040710&content_id=794774&vkey=news_nyy&fext=.jsp&c_id=nyy	archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20120403010041/http://newyork.yankees.mlb.com/news/article.jsp?ymd=20040710&content_id=794774&vkey=news_nyy&fext=.jsp&c_id=nyy	url-status=dead	archive-date=April 3, 2012	title=Ruffing finally gets his plaque	date=July 10, 2004	access-date=August 28, 2010}}
Second baseman	(No. 42)			1947–1956 (Brooklyn Dodgers)
Owner				1973–2010
Pitcher	(No. 42)			1995–2013	url=http://www.nydailynews.com/sports/baseball/yankees/yanks-retire-mo-42-pregame-ceremony-article-1.1463889	title=Yankees retire Mariano Rivera's No. 42 in Monument Park during pregame ceremony	first=Mark	last=Feinsand	work=Daily News (New York)	date=September 22, 2013	access-date=September 22, 2013}}
First baseman				1996–2001, 2005	url=https://www.mlb.com/yankees/news/yankees-to-honor-torre-gossage-martinez-and-oneill/c-74780552	title=Yankees to honor Joe Torre, Rich "Goose" Gossage, Tino Martinez, and Paul O'Neill in 2014 with plaques in Monument Park; Torre's uniform no. 6 to also be retired: Ceremonies are part of a recognition series that will include Bernie Williams in 2015	work=MLB.com	date=May 8, 2014	access-date=February 28, 2021}}
Pitcher				1978–1983, 1989
Outfielder	(No. 21)			1993–2001
Manager	(No. 6)			1996–2007
Outfielder	(No. 51)			1991–2006
Second baseman / Coach				1976–1988
Pitcher / Coach				1964–1974
Catcher	(No. 20)			1995–2011
Pitcher	(No. 46)			1995–2003, 2007–2010, 2012–2013
Shortstop	(No. 2)			1995–2014

Image gallery

File:ParkFromTheBox.jpg |Monument Park from the stadium's pressbox File:HugginsMonument.jpg|Miller Huggins's monument File:GehrigMonument.jpg|Lou Gehrig's monument File:RuthMonument.jpg|Babe Ruth's monument File:MantleMonument.jpg|Mickey Mantle's monument File:DiMaggioMonument.jpg|Joe DiMaggio's monument File:RuppertPlaque.jpg|Jacob Ruppert's plaque

File:Yankee Stadium II Center Field.JPG|Monument Park and surrounding area File:Roger Maris Plaque.jpg|Roger Maris's plaque File:Elston Howard Plaque.jpg|Elston Howard's plaque File:Ed Barrow plaque.jpg|Ed Barrow's plaque File:Joe McCarthy Plaque.jpg|Joe McCarthy's plaque File:Whitey Ford Plaque.JPG|Whitey Ford's plaque

Notes

References

Landers, Chris. (July 24, 2018). "The long and winding story behind Yankee Stadium's Monument Park". MLB.com.
(May 31, 1932). "Results in Major Sports Yesterday". [[The New York Times]].
Red, Christian. (June 7, 2008). "Yankee Stadium's Monument Park: Stories of place where legends go". [[Daily News (New York).
(April 15, 1954). "15 Apr 1954, 355 - Daily News at". Newspapers.com.
(June 6, 1969). "Quite A Day For Mickey At Proud Yankee Stadium". [[Spartanburg Herald-Journal.
(1972-07-23). "23 Jul 1972, 52 - Honolulu Star-Bulletin at". Newspapers.com.
Migoya, David. (July 13, 2008). "Yankee Stadium>> In its final season, "The House That Ruth Built" hosts the All-Star Game at 6 p.m. Tuesday, KDVR-31". [[The Denver Post]].
Sandomir, Richard. (September 21, 2010). "Everyone Agrees: Steinbrenner's Plaque Is Big". The New York Times.
(March 7, 1976). "7 Mar 1976, Page 115 - Asbury Park Press at". Newspapers.com.
(1980-09-21). "21 Sep 1980, 25 - Star-Gazette at". Newspapers.com.
(1984-07-23). "23 Jul 1984, 46 - Daily News at". Newspapers.com.
Madden, Bill. (1984-12-11). "Yankees Move Fences In". New York Daily News.
Altman, Jim. (April 16, 2011). "The Pinstripe Palace". Hartford Courant.
(August 26, 1996). "26 Aug 1996, Page 1C - Poughkeepsie Journal at".
(April 26, 1999). "26 Apr 1999, 21". The Herald-News.
(April 18, 2007). "ESPN — Yankees honor Robinson — MLB". [[ESPN]].
Feinsand, Mark. (April 14, 2020). "Mariano 'blessed' to be last to wear Jackie's 42".
Matuszewski, Erik. (September 20, 2010). "George Steinbrenner Monument to Be Unveiled Today Before Yankees-Rays Game". Bloomberg.
"Baseball plans tributes for 9/11 | MLB.com: News". MLB.com.
DiComo, Anthony. (November 12, 2008). "Monument of Babe Ruth removed: Artifact will make its way to new Yankee Stadium by year's end". [[MLB.com]].
Newcomb, Tim. (June 27, 2014). "Ballpark Quirks: Yankee Stadium's living museum in Monument Park". [[Time Inc.]].
Madden, Bill. (May 9, 2009). "An open letter to Boss: Please, fix Yankee Stadium". [[Daily News (New York).
(April 16, 2009). "Impressions of the Opener". [[The Journal News]].
Begley, Ian. (September 22, 2013). "Yankees honor Mariano Rivera". ESPN.com.
"Yankees to honor Joe Torre, Goose Gossage, Tino Martinez, and Paul O'Neill with plaques in Monument Park". nj.com.
Sandomir, Richard. (February 20, 2015). "During Dry Spell, Yankees Emphasize Monument Park". The New York Times.
(2016-08-15). "15 Aug 2016, B4 - Sun-News at". Newspapers.com.
"Yankees to retire Paul O'Neill's No. 21".
Glasspiegel, Ryan. (December 9, 2013). "The Yankees Will Honor Nelson Mandela with a Plaque in Monument Park | Extra Mustard – SI.com". Extramustard.si.com.
(December 9, 2013). "New York Yankees to honor Nelson Mandela in Monument Park – ESPN Chicago". Espn.go.com.
"Rainout Postpones Yankee Stadium Ceremony Honoring Nelson Mandela – NY1". Bronx.ny1.com.
(June 25, 2019). "Yankees Unveil Monument Park Plaque Commemorating Stonewall Inn Uprising".
Brunell, Evan. (August 24, 2010). "Steinbrenner to be honored in Monument Park". CBS Sports.
(May 30, 1932). "Mayor to Speak at Unveiling Of Huggins Memorial Today". The New York Times.
(July 7, 1941). "Memorial to Lou Gehrig Unveiled". St. Petersburg Times.
(April 9, 1940). "Yankees Will Honor Col. Jacob Ruppert". The Spokesman-Review.
Roden, Ralph. (April 20, 1949). "Six Home Teams Score Victories in Opener". St. Petersburg Times.
Hand, Jack. (April 15, 1954). "Baltimore Tops List of 'Second Openers' Today". St. Petersburg Times.
(April 25, 1999). "An American icon: DiMaggio honored at Yankee Stadium with monument". Sports Illustrated.
Vecsey, George. (June 9, 1969). "61,157 Hearts Here Throb for Mantle as No. 7 Joins 3, 4 and 5 in Retirement". The New York Times.
Callahan, Maureen. (March 30, 2014). "Jeter's retirement marks end of Yanks' single-digit numbers". New York Post.
Wallace, William N.. (April 21, 1976). "Yanks Top White Sox, 5–4, As Shirt Dispute Flares; Yankees Win, 5–4, In a Shirt Battle". The New York Times.
(October 2, 1975). "To Honor Casey". The Bryan Times.
(August 4, 1979). "Yankee Fans Pay Tribute to Catcher". Star-News.
(July 24, 1984). "The Man Who Beat The Babe". Waycross Journal-Herald.
Kerber, Fred. (August 14, 2007). "For 'dreamer' Scooter, a moo-ving day". New York Daily News.
(August 11, 1986). "Yanks Retire Martin's Number". Daytona Beach Morning Journal.
Noble, Marty. (April 2012). "Well, 2 Out of 3 Ain't Bad: Yanks aren't overwhelmed by successful weekend". [[Newsday]].
Shaughnessy, Dan. (August 21, 1988). "Is Balance Of Al Power Headed West?". [[Boston Globe]].
(August 27, 1989). "Yankees Honor Allie Reynolds With Plaque". Deseret News.
Chass, Murray. (September 1, 1997). "On Baseball — Mattingly's Monument To Effort". The New York Times.
Davidoff, Ken. (July 25, 1998). "Allen Joins Yankee Immortals". [[The Record (Bergen County).
Madden, Bill. (May 8, 2000). "For Once, Sheppard Is Speechless: Yanks hail keeper of names". New York Daily News.
(2002-07-07). "7 Jul 2002, 29 - The Central New Jersey Home News at". Newspapers.com.
(August 24, 2003). "Baseball — Yankees Pay Tribute to Guidry". The New York Times.
Moses, David. (July 10, 2004). "Ruffing finally gets his plaque". MLB.com.
(2013-09-23). "23 Sep 2013, S5 - The Record at". Newspapers.com.
Marchand, Andrew. (September 20, 2010). "Yanks unveil Steinbrenner monument". [[ESPN]].
Feinsand, Mark. (September 22, 2013). "Yankees retire Mariano Rivera's No. 42 in Monument Park during pregame ceremony". [[Daily News (New York)]].
(May 8, 2014). "Yankees to honor Joe Torre, Rich "Goose" Gossage, Tino Martinez, and Paul O'Neill in 2014 with plaques in Monument Park; Torre's uniform no. 6 to also be retired: Ceremonies are part of a recognition series that will include Bernie Williams in 2015". MLB.com.
Corcoran, Cliff. (May 22, 2015). "Jersey retirement a chance to finally appreciate Bernie Williams: Five-time All-Star Bernie Williams to have number retired by Yankees". Sports Illustrated.
"Willie Randolph being honored at Old-Timers' Day on Saturday – The LoHud Yankees Blog". The LoHud Yankees Blog.
McCarron, Anthony. (June 20, 2015). "Yankees surprise Mel Stottlemyre with Monument Park plaque on Old Timers' Day at the Stadium". New York Daily News.
McCarron, Anthony. (August 22, 2015). "Jorge Posada has No. 20 retired by Yankees on 'one of the happiest days of my life'". New York Daily News.
O'Brien, Charles. (August 23, 2015). "Yankees honor Pettitte by retiring his No. 46". Asbury Park Press.
Hock, Bryan. (December 6, 2016). "Yankees to retire Derek Jeter's number May 14". MLB.com.

Wikipedia Source

This article was imported from Wikipedia and is available under the Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike 4.0 License. Content has been adapted to SurfDoc format. Original contributors can be found on the article history page.

major-league-baseball-museums-and-halls-of-fame sports-museums-in-new-york-city halls-of-fame-in-new-york-city baseball-in-new-york-city museums-in-the-bronx yankee-stadium-(1923) new-york-yankees concourse,-bronx

Want to explore this topic further?

Ask Mako anything about Monument Park (Yankee Stadium) — get instant answers, deeper analysis, and related topics.

Research with Mako

Free with your Surf account

Content sourced from Wikipedia, available under CC BY-SA 4.0.

This content may have been generated or modified by AI. CloudSurf Software LLC is not responsible for the accuracy, completeness, or reliability of AI-generated content. Always verify important information from primary sources.

Report