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Why is Yankee Stadium Known As the House That Ruth Built?

Dan Cavallari
Dan Cavallari

Before Yankee Stadium opened in 1923, the Yankees rented from their cross-town rivals, the New York Giants and shared the space at the Polo Grounds. Threatened with eviction, the Yankees were forced to build their own stadium in the Bronx, but this move arguably could not have happened without the fame and popularity of their marquee player, George Herman “Babe” Ruth. Ruth drew large crowds and made the Yankees an astoundingly popular team, and after Yankee Stadium opened, it was known colloquially as The House that Ruth Built as a result of Ruth’s starpower drawing in enough revenue and fan support to build the park.

In Ruth’s first season with the Yankees in 1920, the Yankees were drawing more fans than their cross-town rivals, the Giants, and the Yankees owners decided to take a chance on the popularity of their team. Because both the New York Giants and the Brooklyn Dodgers had stronger roots in New York than the relatively young Yankees, building a new park — larger than most ballparks — on the assumption that the Yankees could draw 60,000 fans to their games was quite a gamble. But the Yankees also had Babe Ruth, who was the biggest name in sports at the time. After tenuous relations began developing between Giants and Yankees ownership, the Yankees decided it was time to invest in what would become the House That Ruth Built.

The distance from home plate to right field gave left-handed Ruth an advantage.
The distance from home plate to right field gave left-handed Ruth an advantage.

To further reinforce the notion that Yankee Stadium was indeed the House That Ruth Built, Babe Ruth hit the first home run in the new ballpark to beat the Boston Red Sox. The Yankees won the World Series in that first year in the House That Ruth Built, further reinforcing the notion that the stadium owed its success partly to Ruth. Critics of the park, however, played off the moniker The House That Ruth Built and instead called it The House Built For Ruth because of its dimensions that were conducive to the left-handed slugger: originally, the right field fence was less than 300 feet – 90 meters – from home plate, giving Ruth an advantage for hitting home runs.

The new Yankee Stadium is also in the Bronx.
The new Yankee Stadium is also in the Bronx.

The House That Ruth Built features many firsts: Yankee Stadium was the first baseball park to be permanently labeled a stadium; it was the first three-tiered sports facility; it featured the first warning track; and it featured the first electronic scoreboard. Intended for multi-sports use, the House That Ruth Built could be used for football games, track and field events, and various other sporting events thanks to its specific, multi-faceted design.

Discussion Comments

tigers88

Wow, the first warning track. I had never heard that before. I played the outfield for a while myself and it is pretty inconceivable to think of playing without one these days. Even with the warning track it is easy to go in to the wall full speed so I can't imagine how the old time players must have felt.

backdraft

I have always wished that I was old enough to have seen Babe Ruth play. There have been a lot of great baseball players that have come and gone in my time but few have been as transcendent and relevant to the game as Babe Ruth. Even people who know nothing about baseball know who he is. He is one of those extremely rare players who has a natural gift for the game. It goes beyond talent, it was something in his blood.

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    • The distance from home plate to right field gave left-handed Ruth an advantage.
      By: itsallgood
      The distance from home plate to right field gave left-handed Ruth an advantage.
    • The new Yankee Stadium is also in the Bronx.
      By: cesar
      The new Yankee Stadium is also in the Bronx.