Recollections of favorite moments at Yankee Stadium:
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Yogi Berra
“(Don) Larsen’s no-hitter. It was a perfect game at that.”
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David Cone
“People are surprised, but really the first big memory I have was the ’95 playoffs, Don Mattingly’s first playoff game. The city was so hungry. Yankee fans were so hungry. And when Don Mattingly ran onto the field to do his wind sprints before the game, he got a standing ovation, a thunderous standing ovation that lasted for 20 minutes. The perfect game is right up there, of course, on a personal level. But I think the first playoff appearance (of the 1990s). It was so in your face. It was my first experience with Yankee fans and what that meant.”
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Rudy Giuliani
al to me was that two brothers were playing for different teams.
“My next great moment was watching Roger Maris hit his 61st home run. I was sitting basically between the first baseman and right field, about 30, 40 rows back. And Reggie Jackson’s three home runs, I was there for that. For that one I was on left-field side. Also, kind of deep. Then in ’96, when the Yankees won the World Series, I sat in the first row because I was the mayor. I moved up by then to the first row. I would say that was probably my happiest moment because the Yankees winning while I was the mayor, being a Yankees fan since the day I can remember, was just pure excitement, and the idea that we were going to have a big parade. And then David Cone’s perfect game, that’s another great memory. I was back in my mayor’s seats. It was Yogi Berra Day. And then finally (Aaron) Boone’s home run.”
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Reggie Jackson
“What I remember most was seeing Mickey Mantle (on April 15, 1968). I played against Mickey Mantle, man. I looked down at his shoes. He had No. 7 on them. He stopped and let me go past him. He knew my name. He said, ‘Go ahead, Reggie.’ It was Mickey Mantle. That’s what I remember most.”
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Derek Jeter
e were supposed to lose that Series and we lost the first two games, and we had to come back. I think the excitement of the city – it was just everything that was involved with the whole thing.”
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Don Mattingly
“That first time coming up from Triple A, driving into New York, coming across (the) George Washington (Bridge) and pulling into the stadium – walking that tunnel into the stadium the first time is one of my most vivid memories. Yankee Stadium is such a special place, the dimensions, the way it plays, the porch in right, it’s big in center and the way it’s configured I think it’s special, you want to keep that. I remember flying over last year you’d see the fields next to each other and they look exactly the same, and I think that’s pretty cool.”
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Paul O’Neill
“`For some reason, I remember that (2000) Subway Series more than anything, just because it was all in New York. Not only Yankees fans were into it, but Mets fans, so all of New York was into it. I remember that series.”
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Andy Pettitte
just the rush of waiting for that last out. The thing that I remember most about that Series is how bad I pitched in Game 1. Seriously. That’s what strives you and just determines you to pitch that Game 5, the fear and determination of not letting that happen to you again.”
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Lou Piniella
“We’re going to New York in a week and if I get real nostalgic, I can go spend a few hours at Yankee Stadium Monday through Thursday of next week. Look, how can you not remember the time you spent playing there and your teammates and the successes we had? It’s been an integral part of my baseball life and I’ve always been proud of the fact that I was able to wear the pinstripes. I’ve got bases in my office from the first renovation. I even got a chair. So I think they are going to sell all that stuff (from the current stadium). I’m going to have to go on eBay and bid on it.”
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Mariano Rivera
“Seeing Charlie Hayes catching that ball, the last pitch, for the final out. No. 2 would be I think Aaron Boone’s home run.”
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Alex Rodriguez
“I would just say any time we clinched at home, playoff spots. Clinches at home are big.”
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George Steinbrenner
(Through spokesman Howard Rubenstein)
“It was the first time I walked into Yankee Stadium as the new owner. What a thrill it was for me.”
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Joe Torre
tseason. … Growing up and knowing what the Yankees represented, it was a great opportunity for me, then to be able to have the success we had – it’s incredible that stadium, just the power of it. I always used the expression, you can feel the heartbeat of the people in the stands, especially when you’re playing the Red Sox or the Mets but especially the Red Sox and then, of course, postseason play. Although postseason play, it’s interesting. In 1996 it was terrific, but the last couple of times, it’s like the people who make most of the noise during the season can’t afford the tickets and that’s the sad part of it. It (Yankee Stadium) is something I’ll never forget – I don’t have to go back there, trust me. I have great memories and when I left there for the last time, I pretty much knew it would be the last time.”
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