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 Yankee Stadium Opening Day 1923 Photo Gallery
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One-Hundredth Anniversary of Yankee Stadium!

Thanks to Michael Keedy for reminding me that yesterday was the one-hundredth anniversary (April 18, 1923) of the opening of Yankee Stadium and the first game played there. To honor the occasion, I thought it might be fun to take a look at some of the details from that game.

In the inaugural game, the Yankees prevailed against the visiting Red Sox, 4-1, thanks to a three-run homer by the great Bambino, Babe Ruth. It was a fitting christening for the stadium that later became known as the “House that Ruth Built.”

(In the featured photo above, we see the Babe crossing the plate after hitting his three-run homer. Catcher is Al DeVormer. Also present are mascot Eddie Bennett and umpire Tom Connolly).

The game was played in a brisk 2:05 in front of 74,200 fans on hand to witness the stadium’s premier game. The umpires included two who were later enshrined in the Hall of Fame: Tom Connolly and Billy Evans, plus Ducky Holmes.

The Babe’s blast came in the bottom of the third, driving in Whitey Witt and Joe Dugan ahead of him. The Bambino would go on to hit 41 for the season. Bob Shawkey was the starting and winning pitcher for the Yankees, allowing just three hits, two walks, and striking out five while earning a complete-game victory.

Loser Howard Ehmke got the call for the Red Sox and lasted seven innings while giving up all four Yankee runs. He then gave way to reliever Carl Fullerton, who finished the game. Notable Red Sox players in the game included John “Shano” Collins, who emerged from the 1919 Black Sox scandal with his reputation intact as one of the “Clean Sox;” and George Burns, who John McGraw once described as one of the best players he ever managed

The Yankees, managed by Miller Huggins, went 98-54 that year en route to capturing their third-straight pennant and their first World Series championship, defeating John McGraw and their cross-town rivals, Giants, four games to two. It was the third straight match-up between the two New York teams, with the Giants coming out victorious in the first two. Meanwhile, the Red Sox, led by manager Frank Chance (he of “Tinker-to-Evers-to-Chance” fame) went 61-91 and finished last in the American League.

The Yankee lineup, First Game at Yankee Stadium, April 18, 1923:

Whitey Witt, CF (1-3, walk)

Joe Dugan, 3B (1-4)

Babe Ruth, RF (1-2, walk)

Wally Pipp, 1B (0-3, walk)

Bob Meusel, LF (1-4)

Wally Schang, C (0-4)

Aaron Ward, 2B (1-3)

Everett Scott, SS (1-2)

Bob Shawkey, P, (1-3)

A few words about the Yankees (besides Babe Ruth) who played in the game:

Whitey Witt: Played ten seasons in the majors (.287/18/300). He was the last surviving member of the 1923 Yankees World Series championship team. Witt is remembered for being knocked unconscious by a thrown soda bottle at a game in Sportsman’s Park in St. Louis in 1922.

“Jumping” Joe Dugan: Played 14 years in the majors (.280/42/557) and was considered one of the best defensive third basemen of his era. He was also known as a roommate of Babe Ruth. Dugan is remembered as the hero of the 1923 World Series due to his spectacular defensive performance and timely hitting which included five RBIs. In 1924, he was a near-unanimous selection as the best third baseman in the American

Wally Pipp: Considered one of the best power hitters (.281/90/1004) of the Dead Ball Era, but is mostly remembered as the player who lost his starting job at first base to Lou Gehrig on June 2, 1925, after experiencing a headache. This began Gehrig’s streak of 2,130 consecutive games. Pipp had three seasons with a .300+ batting average, and two seasons with 100 or more RBIs. His 226 sacrifices as a Yankee remain a team record.

Bob Meusel:  Remembered for being a member of the “Murderers’ Row” teams of the mid-1920s (.309/156/1071) which included Ruth, Gehrig, Lazzeri, and Combs.  He shares the major league record for the most times hitting for the cycle with three, Meusel had one of the strongest arms of the era. Casey Stengel, was quoted as saying that he had never seen a better thrower. He was also known to be quiet and reserved. His manager Miller Huggins called him “indifferent.” He was known for his lazy attitude, such as refusing to run out ground balls, which many said kept him from achieving greatness and possibly out of the Hall of Fame.

Walter Schang: (.284/59/710) played in the majors 19 years as a catcher. He was the starting catcher for six American League pennant-winning teams. He was considered one of the best major league catchers of his era, both offensively and defensively. He was a switch-hitter who batted above .300 six times and posted a career .393 on-base percentage, second only to Mickey Cochrane among major league catchers.

Aaron Ward: Played 12 seasons in the majors (.268/50/446) and is famous for collecting the first hit by a member of the Yankees in Yankee Stadium, and for his base running blunder when he was thrown out at third base to end the eighth and final game of the 1921 World Series.

Everett “Deacon” Scott: Played 12 seasons in the majors as a shortstop (.249/20/551). A natural leader, he was the captain of both the Red Sox and Yankees over his career. He led American League shortstops in fielding percentage seven straight seasons (1916–22) and appeared in 1,307 consecutive games from June 20, 1916, through May 6, 1925, setting a record later broken by Lou Gehrig. As of 2022, it is still the third-longest streak in history. After retiring from baseball, Scott became a professional bowler.

Bob Shawkey: Played 15 seasons in the majors (195-150/3.09). He’s remembered as the starting pitcher in the first game played in Yankee Stadium, and set the franchise record for 15 strikeouts in a single game, which stood unt 1978. A good hitting pitcher, Shawkey compiled a .214 batting average with 90 runs, 3 home runs and 95 RBIs.

The Yankee pitching staff included ace Bullet Joe Bush, Hall-of-Famers Herb Pennock and Waite Hoyt, Sad Sam Jones, and the surly Carl Mays. Also on the team was a rookie named Lou Gehrig who appeared in 13 games and went on to have a pretty good career himself!

Gary Livacari 

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Information: Excerpts edited Yankee-Red Sox boxscore, April 18, 1923 found on Baseball-Reference. Player information from their Wikipedia pages.