
What physical structure better represents the legendary greatness of the National Pastime than Yankee Stadium, the "House that Babe Ruth built"? It was the first baseball stadium with three decks, and it had the greatest capacity other than the often-empty Cleveland's Municipal Stadium, built in 1932. For several decades the “ghosts” of Yankee stadium have helped continue the legacy of winning for the New York Yankees.
In the "Original Era" (1923-1936), the lower deck extended all the way to the bullpen in left field, but only as far as the corner in right field. The top two decks only went as far as the right and left field corners. The two upper decks were extended out to left center field in 1928, and all three decks were extended to right center field in 1937.
In the "Classic Era" (1937-1973), the original wooden bleachers were replaced by bigger permanent bleachers, and the sharply angled outfield fence was reconfigured into a huge sweeping curve. Also, a few rows of seats were removed from the left field corner, creating a bevel-like notch in the grandstands, matching a similar configuration in the right field corner, where the foul line actually lay flush against the wall! In center field and left center, also known as "Death Valley," a ball had to travel 460 feet or more to clear the fence.