My good friend David Aceto sent links to film of the April 14, 1931 Yankee Stadium opener against the Red Sox. The game was filmed with sound, so you get to hear some players speak. It’s clear the live interview was very much in its infancy.
We get to see Babe Ruth, Lou Gehrig, and others bat. I did not realize how what an extreme closed stance Ruth used, at least late in his career. He really was a wild swinger. There is close up footage of the two taking batting practice.
Yankee Stadium is incomplete. If you look at the outfield, the warning track is where the bleachers will eventually extend. At this point in time, the bleachers were set back quite a ways, and I don’t know how people down the leftfield line saw any action other than fly balls to the outfield.
There are quite a few shots of the fans. Almost all the men are wearing hats. The band played an excellent rendition of the National Anthem.
Here is Ruth’s home run in the seventh inning.
Note that the person making a statement about the season hopes for an American League Championship. The pennant, not the World Series, mattered more back then.
In the first video, Red Ruffing gets an infield hit and drives in a run. He was a very good hitter, batting .269/.306/.389 for his career.
from baseballmusings.com https://ift.tt/2WggaXv
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