Yankees say goodbye to stadium that Ruth built

1922: A subway train passes in front of Yankee Stadium in the Bronx, New York Photograph: Howard Muller/Getty

1922: Babe Ruth, left, poses with Yankee owner Jacob Ruppert, centre, and fellow player Bob Meusel Photograph: Mark Rucker/Getty

April 1923: A postcard of a game at the stadium, watched by a full house Photograph: Mark Rucker/Getty

April 18 1923: It's opening day for Yankee Stadium, with cars and fans approaching the front gates Photograph: Mark Rucker/Getty

April 18 1923: New York Yankees batboy, Ray Kelly, left, poses with Babe Ruth. In the first game at Yankee Stadium, on April 18 1923, Ruth hit the first home run, a three-run shot to help defeat his former team, the Boston Red Sox, 4-1 Photograph: Mark Rucker/Getty

1923: Babe Ruth takes a mighty swing during pre-game batting practice in Yankee Stadium Photograph: Mark Rucker/Getty

April 19 1923: Governor Alfred E Smith throws out the first pitch prior to the game between the Boston Red Sox and the New York Yankees Photograph: Bruce Bennett Studios/Getty

1920s: The stadium is set up with additional temporary seating and a football field marked out on the playing surface Photograph: Getty

February 7 1933: American baseball legend Babe Ruth (George Herman Ruth) is pictured with a cake shaped like the stadium on his 39th birthday. The stadium is often called 'The House That Ruth Built' Photograph: Getty

September 25 1936: This aerial view of New York City shows Yankee stadium, right, in the Bronx and the Polo Grounds, upper left, in Manhattan separated by the Harlem river Photograph: Joe Caneva/AP

October 4 1939: More than 50,000 baseball fans crowded the stadium to watch the Yankees beat the Cincinnati Reds in a World Series opener Photograph: AP

June 19 1946: The stadium is filled with around 65,000 people for the world heavyweight championship bout between champion Joe Louis and challenger Billy Conn. Louis retained his title by knocking out Conn after 2 minutes and 19 seconds of the 8th round Photograph: AP

October 6 1949: A panoramic view, actually a composite of three negatives, of the stadium as the Yankees host the Brooklyn Dodgers Photograph: AP

November 12 1949: John Helwig, a Notre Dame guard, knocks down a North Carolina pass on the goal line to break up a scoring threat Photograph: AP

September 2 1962: The press box during a game between the Yankees and Detroit Tigers Photograph: John Rooney/AP

October 3 1952: The famous bleacher seats at the Yankee Stadium Photograph: AP

October 2 1961: Outfielder Roger Maris, of the New York Yankees, rounds the bases after hitting his 61st home run of the season in a game against the Boston Red Sox Photograph: Getty

April 18 1975: A view of the stadium during the remodelling of the Bronx section Photograph: Ron Frehm/AP

April 15 1976: Crowds outside New York's newly refurbished stadium on opening day to see the Yankees play the Minnesota Twins Photograph: AP

Oct. 20, 1998: Yankee Stadium is seen with the South Bronx in the forground. Residents say the stadium brings something special to their corner of the Bronx. 'It gives [the neighborhood] more life,' said Ana Milagros. On game days, 'everyone is happier ... You hear the noise, you hear the sirens, everybody's jumping, whether they're watching the game or not' Photograph: Adam Nadel/AP

October 26 1996: The Yankees celebrate after winning the 1996 World Series against the Atlanta Braves Photograph: Ronald C. Modra/Getty

June 12 2007: The crowd reacts to a three-run home run by Bobby Abreu against the Arizona Diamondbacks Photograph: Al Bello/Getty

September 17 2008: A general view of stadium prior to the game between the Yankees and the Chicago White Sox Photograph: Jim McIsaac/Getty

September 8 2008 : The New York Yankees new ballpark is under construction next to the venerable Yankee Stadium Photograph: Mark Lennihan/AP