Monument Park (Yankee Stadium)

For other uses of the term Monument Park, see Monument Park.

The entrance to the monuments and plaques, at the end of the retired numbers display.

Retired numbers of the Yankees on display in Monument Park.

Monument Park is a section of Yankee Stadium in The Bronx, New York, which contains a collection of monuments, plaques and retired numbers, pertaining to the New York Yankees and other events to take place at the stadium and in the city. It was formerly in play. It is considered as a supreme distinction for an individual to receive a ceremonial plaque in Monument Park. The ceremonial monuments themselves are reserved for the highest honor of all, and are rewarded posthumously. There have been only five individuals to have monuments dedicated in their name - Miller Huggins, Lou Gehrig, Babe Ruth, Mickey Mantle, and Joe DiMaggio.

With the Yankees constructing a New Yankee Stadium across the street, Monument Park will be relocated to the new facility.

The following individuals are honored with monuments or plaques in Monument Park, located behind the left-center field fence at Yankee Stadium, between the bullpens. Monuments, rather than plaques, are generally awarded to the greatest of the Yankee greats, and then only after their deaths. Many of these figures also had their uniform numbers retired in the same ceremony. Such events historically often took place either at home openers or on Old Timers' Day, but have lately been done on separate weekend home games. Figures are listed in the order in which their plaques were dedicated:

• Miller Huggins, manager 1918-29, monument dedicated May 30 1932. This monument was originally placed on the field of play, in front of the center-field flagpole. Placing monuments in the deepest part of the playing field was not unprecedented - the Polo Grounds and Forbes Field also had monuments in deep centerfield. Huggins never wore a number on his uniform, and so no number is retired in his honor.
• Jacob Ruppert, owner 1915-39, plaque dedicated April 19 1940. This plaque was placed on the outfield wall, to the right of the flagpole.
• Lou Gehrig, first baseman 1923-39, number 4 retired July 4 1939, monument dedicated July 6 1941. This monument was placed to the left of the Huggins monument. Gehrig was the first Major League Baseball player to have his uniform number retired.
• Babe Ruth, right fielder 1920-34, number 3 retired June 13 1948, monument dedicated April 19 1949. This monument was placed to the right of the Huggins monument.
• Ed Barrow, general manager 1921-46, plaque dedicated April 15 1954. The plaque was placed on the wall, to the left of the flagpole.
• Joe DiMaggio, center fielder 1936-51, number 5 retired April 18 1952, plaque dedicated June 8 1969, replaced by a monument April 25 1999.
• Mickey Mantle, center fielder 1951-68, number 7 retired and plaque dedicated June 8 1969, replaced by a monument August 25 1996. Mantle was awarded his plaque on Mickey Mantle Day, handed to him by DiMaggio. Mantle then handed DiMaggio his plaque, saying, "His oughta be just a little bit higher than mine." They were placed side-by-side on the wall, although as former Yankee publicist Marty Appel noted in his own memoir, DiMaggio's was indeed slightly higher on the wall than Mantle's. These were the last plaques to be placed in play. Following the 1974-75 renovation of Yankee Stadium, the monuments and plaques were moved to the new Monument Park.
• Joe McCarthy, manager 1931-46, plaque dedicated April 29 1976. 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.
• Casey Stengel, manager 1949-60, number 37 retired August 8 1970, plaque dedicated July 30 1976.
• Thurman Munson, catcher 1969-79, number 15 retired August 2 1979, plaque dedicated September 20 1980.
• Elston Howard, outfielder and catcher 1955-67, coach 1969-80, number 32 retired and plaque dedicated July 21 1984.
• Roger Maris, outfielder 1960-66, number 9 retired and plaque dedicated July 21 1984, in the same ceremony as Howard's.
• Phil Rizzuto, shortstop 1941-56 and broadcaster 1957-96, number 10 retired and plaque dedicated August 4 1985.
• Billy Martin, second baseman 1950-57, manager 1975-78, 1979, 1983, 1985 and 1988, number 1 retired and plaque dedicated August 10 1986.
• Lefty Gomez, pitcher 1930-42, plaque dedicated August 1 1987. His number 11 has not been retired.
• Whitey Ford, pitcher 1950-67, number 16 retired April 6 1974, plaque dedicated August 1 1987, in the same ceremony as Gomez's.
• Bill Dickey, catcher 1928-46, manager 1946, coach 1949-60, number 8 retired April 18 1972, plaque dedicated August 21 1988.
• Yogi Berra, catcher and outfielder 1946-63, manager 1964 and 1984-85, coach 1975-83, number 8 retired April 18 1972, plaque dedicated August 21 1988 -- in each case, in the same ceremony as Dickey's.
• Allie Reynolds, pitcher 1947-54, plaque dedicated August 27 1989. His number 22 has not been retired.
• Don Mattingly, first baseman 1982-95, coach from 2004-2007, number 23 retired and plaque dedicated August 31 1997.
• Mel Allen, broadcaster 1939-64 and 1976-89, plaque dedicated July 25 1998.
• Bob Sheppard, public address announcer since 1951, plaque dedicated May 7 2000.
• Reggie Jackson, right fielder 1977-81, number 44 retired August 14 1993, plaque dedicated July 6 2002.
• Ron Guidry, pitcher 1975-88, coach 2006-2007, number 49 retired and plaque dedicated August 23 2003.
• Red Ruffing, pitcher 1930-46, plaque dedicated July 10 2004 at an Old Timers Day Ceremony. His number 15 had already been retired for Munson.

The plaque in Monument Park in honour of Jackie Robinson.

• Jackie Robinson, plaque dedicated April 17 2007. In honor of Robinson's unique place as the first African-American 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. On April 17, 2007 (their first home game following the 60th anniversary), the Yankees erected a plaque for Robinson 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." 42's 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. The number will be ceremonially retired by the Yankees after Rivera retires.

Huggins, Gehrig, Ruth, Barrow, DiMaggio, Mantle, McCarthy, Stengel, Rizzuto, Gomez, Ford, Dickey, Berra, Jackson and Ruffing are also members of the Baseball Hall of Fame. Allen received the Hall's Ford Frick Award, the broadcasters' equivalent of Hall of Fame election.

In addition, the Knights of Columbus donated plaques to the Yankees 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. These plaques are likely to remain at the Yankee Stadium site.

File:911YankeeMonument.jpg

The September 11th Monument

The Yankees 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.

The monuments are located more than 450 feet from home plate. It is an achievement for a home run in the "new" Stadium to go into the monuments on the fly. Among those who have done so are Thurman Munson (in Game 3 of the 1978 American League Championship Series) and Alex Rodriguez (in August 2005).

Since the mid-1980s, the rear fence lining the walkway from the grandstand to the monuments -- the barrier that was the outfield fence from 1976 to 1984 -- has borne the Yankees' retired numbers. Under those numbers are small stands with short biographies of the players that were honored.

Monument Park is open to fans during most game days at Yankee Stadium, from the time that the gates open until about 45 minutes before the start of the game. Sometimes Monument Park closes earlier for unannounced reasons. On the annual Old Timers Day, it is open throughout the Old Timers ceremonies and game, remaining open until 45 minutes before the start of the MLB game. It is also open to the public during tours of Yankee Stadium.

Prior to the 1970s remodeling, the monuments were in-play, in deep left center field some 460 feet from home plate. This was not unusual, as Forbes Field and the Polo Grounds also had monuments in-play in the deep outfield. 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. Stengel hollered to the field, "Ruth, Gehrig, Huggins, somebody get that ball back to the infield!"

Photo gallery

• Original placement of monuments in center field
  Original placement of monuments in center field
• 
  Miller Huggins's Monument
• 
  Lou Gehrig's Monument
• 
  Babe Ruth's Monument
• 
  Mickey Mantle's Monument
• 
  Joe DiMaggio's Monument
• 
  Jacob Ruppert's Plaque
• 
  Bob Sheppard's Plaque
• 
  Monument Park from the stadium's pressbox