The New York Yankees announced this week that the old Yankee Stadium was opened for the last time on September 21, scraping plans for an official closing ceremony. The New York Daily News originally reported that the team was tentatively planning an event for November 9 with more than 300 former players and a line-up of music superstars.
“The Yankees were considering having a charitable event at Yankee Stadium for BAT [Baseball Assistance Team], however, the Yankees realized that the final event at Yankee Stadium should be a baseball game, which in fact took place on Sept. 21,” spokesman Howard Rubenstein told the Associated Press on Wednesday. “Accordingly, rather than having a fundraiser, the Yankees will be donating $500,000 to BAT.”
Among the names mentioned as possible participants at the ceremony included Jay-Z, Billy Joel and Paul McCartney.
Now the official closing of Yankee Stadium will go down in history as a 7-3 victory over the Baltimore Orioles with, fittingly, all-time great closer Mariano Rivera throwing the final pitch.
“I was trying to hold my composure, I never got like that,” Rivera told ESPN following the game at a ceremony that included 21 retired players. “but today I got caught up a little bit with that.”
