September 21, 2008. A Sunday night in the Bronx. More than 54,000 fans packed into the original Yankee Stadium for the last time, and most of them started crying before the first pitch. The Yankees beat the Baltimore Orioles 7-3 in a game that nobody will remember for the score, because this wasn't really about baseball. This was about saying goodbye to the most famous sports venue in America -- 85 years of Ruth, Gehrig, DiMaggio, Mantle, Munson, Reggie, Mattingly, Jeter, and every fan who ever walked through those gates believing something extraordinary was about to happen. The building was just concrete and steel. The memories were everything else.
The Pregame Ceremony
The 65-minute ceremony before the game was part All-Star Game, part Old-Timers' Day, and part Field of Dreams. Former Yankees greats were introduced one by one and took their positions on the field. Whitey Ford stood on the mound. Yogi Berra crouched behind the plate. Reggie Jackson jogged to right field. Bernie Williams walked to center. Rickey Henderson stood in left. Each name drew a roar from the crowd, each roar building on the last.
Bob Sheppard -- the legendary public address announcer whose voice had been the soundtrack of Yankee Stadium since 1951 -- couldn't attend in person. His health was failing. So he pre-recorded the Yankees' lineup, and his crisp, cathedral-toned voice echoed through the Stadium one final time. "Now batting... number two... Derek Jeter... number two." The place shook. Sheppard had been the voice of the building for 57 years, and hearing him call the lineup one last time felt like the building itself was speaking.
Julia Ruth Stevens, Babe Ruth's 92-year-old daughter, threw the ceremonial first pitch. The symmetry was deliberate and perfect: the house that Ruth built, closed by Ruth's daughter. Eighty-five years, bookended by blood.
The Game
Andy Pettitte started on the mound, which was exactly right. Pettitte had pitched at the Stadium since 1995, won championships there, cried there, and loved the place with a sincerity that was impossible to fake. He paused between pitches longer than usual that night, soaking it in, visibly fighting tears every time the crowd stood to cheer him off the mound. He pitched five innings and earned the win.
The offense cooperated. Johnny Damon homered. Jose Molina -- of all the possible heroes, Jose Molina -- hit a two-run shot to left-center in the fourth inning that became the final home run ever hit at the original Yankee Stadium. Molina was a lifetime .233 hitter with 39 career home runs, and somehow one of them landed in the history books. (Baseball has a sense of humor like that. You wait 85 years for a final home run, and the guy who hits it is a backup catcher hitting .216 on the season.)
Robinson Cano went 2-for-4. Jeter singled in the first inning. The 2008 Yankees weren't good enough to make the playoffs, but they were good enough to win the last game that mattered, and that was enough.
Rivera's Final Out
Mariano Rivera entered in the ninth inning to close it out. Of course he did. Who else could've thrown the final pitches at Yankee Stadium? The greatest closer in baseball history, with his cut fastball and his calm authority, retired Baltimore in order. The final batter was Brian Roberts, who grounded out to first baseman Cody Ransom. The last out ever recorded at Yankee Stadium went into a backup first baseman's glove. More baseball humor.
When it was over, Rivera stood on the mound for a long moment. The building shook with noise. Fifty-four thousand people who didn't want to leave, cheering for a man who'd given them dozens of October nights just like this one -- except this time, there wouldn't be another game tomorrow.
Jeter's Speech
After the final out, Girardi removed Jeter from shortstop so the crowd could give him a standing ovation. Then Jeter grabbed the microphone and delivered what became an instant classic:
"For all of us up here, it's a huge honor to put this uniform on every day and come out here and play. And every member of this organization, past and present, has been calling this place home for 85 years. There's a lot of tradition, a lot of history, and a lot of memories. Now the great thing about memories is you're able to pass it along from generation to generation. And although things are going to change next year -- we're going to move across the street -- there are a few things with the New York Yankees that never change. That's pride, tradition, and most of all, we have the greatest fans in the world."
It was pure Jeter -- simple, sincere, and precisely right for the moment. No grand gestures. No theatrics. Just a captain telling his fans that the memories belonged to them.
Then the players walked to center field and tipped their caps. Frank Sinatra's "New York, New York" played over the PA system for the final time. And 85 years of history came to a close.
What the Building Held
The original Yankee Stadium opened on April 18, 1923. It was renovated in 1974-75, but the bones remained. Within those walls, 26 World Series championships were celebrated. Ruth hit his home runs. Gehrig said goodbye. DiMaggio and Mantle patrolled center field across three decades. Don Larsen threw a perfect game in the 1956 World Series. Reggie Jackson hit three home runs on three pitches in 1977. Thurman Munson played his final home game. Derek Jeter became the Captain.
The All-Star Game in July had been the Stadium's final national showcase. The Mussina's 20th win on the last day of the regular season was its final great individual achievement. But September 21 was the real goodbye -- intimate, communal, and absolutely devastating.
| Date | September 21, 2008 |
| Final Score | Yankees 7, Orioles 3 |
| Attendance | 54,610 |
| Winning Pitcher | Andy Pettitte |
| Closing Pitcher | Mariano Rivera |
| Final Home Run | Jose Molina (2-run, 4th inning) |
| Final Out | Brian Roberts, groundout to 1B Cody Ransom |
| Stadium Lifespan | 1923-2008 (85 years) |
Yankee Stadium Opens
The original Yankee Stadium opens with a game against the Red Sox. Babe Ruth christens the building with a three-run homer. The cathedral's 85-year story begins.
Final All-Star Game
Forty-nine Hall of Famers take the field. George Steinbrenner makes one of his last public appearances. The AL wins 4-3 in 15 innings.
The Farewell Ceremony
Bob Sheppard's recorded voice calls the lineup. Julia Ruth Stevens throws the first pitch. Hall of Famers take their positions. The 65-minute ceremony reduces the building to tears.
Molina's Historic Homer
Jose Molina hits the final home run at Yankee Stadium -- a two-run shot to left-center. A lifetime .233 hitter writes himself into the history books.
Rivera Closes It Out
Mariano Rivera retires Baltimore in order. Brian Roberts grounds out to Cody Ransom for the final out. The greatest closer throws the Stadium's last pitch.
Jeter's Speech
Derek Jeter addresses the crowd, urging fans to carry the memories forward. The players tip their caps at center field as "New York, New York" plays one final time.
Frequently Asked Questions
When was the last game played at the original Yankee Stadium?
The final game at the original Yankee Stadium was played on September 21, 2008. The Yankees defeated the Baltimore Orioles 7-3 before a crowd of 54,610. Andy Pettitte earned the win, Mariano Rivera recorded the final out, and Derek Jeter delivered a farewell speech to the fans.
Who hit the last home run at old Yankee Stadium?
Jose Molina -- a backup catcher and lifetime .233 hitter -- hit the final home run at the original Yankee Stadium, a two-run shot to left-center field in the fourth inning of the September 21, 2008 game against Baltimore.
What did Derek Jeter say in his farewell speech at the old Stadium?
Jeter addressed the crowd after the final game, saying: "There's a lot of tradition, a lot of history, and a lot of memories... We are relying on you to take the memories from this Stadium, add them to the new memories to come at the new Yankee Stadium, and continue to pass them on from generation to generation."