Dad's trip to NY in 1959 need help from stadium seats and program guys

[marvymelvin]

So, my father took the train from Alberta to Toronto and the bus from Toronto to New York in April of 1959 as a high school graduation trip with a classmate. While there, he attended a Yankees game, game 4 against the Orioles. Orioles won 2-1. I found the ticket stub along with the ticket envelope from the Taft Hotel ticket counter with directions to the stadium written on the envelope. Also with these items was a Mutoscope photo booth photo of him and his friend taken in a NY penny arcade, an NY subway token he brought home, a small journal containing notes about the ten days he spent in NY, and a Taft matchbook I picked up recently. My father passed away over 20 years ago at the of 54. Much too young. I was thrilled to find these mementos after his passing.

For those of you who grew up close to a major league ballpark a single game is no big deal, but for a kid from the Western Canadian prairies, it was a major trip and once in a lifetime.

I have attached a few pictures of the ticket stub and a few other items. I am wondering if someone could tell me by looking at the seat location, where he was sitting in the stadium. Section 9, Row J, Seat 24, Gate 6.

Also I would be very interested in buying an original Yankee Stadium flat back seat or two in original distress. If you have some please let me know. Thanks so much.
Brad

[Gmrson]

Great items and story, thanks for sharing!

[moeson]

I believe that seat location would have been just after first base in the lower stands behind the box seats.

[ooo-ribay]

O's beat the Yanks 2-1, in 11 innings.

[Kawika]

Brad: This may stretch your credulity but I think I was at that game! When I was a kid in New York in those days my Dad always took me and two or three schoolmates to a Yankees game on the occasion of my birthday which was April 20. That would have been a Monday in 1959. The Yanks were out of town until the Saturday game and he wouldn't have taken me out of school anyway. I have no specific recollection of that exact game but it was the Orioles each birthday because the home-stand and road-trip schedules didn't vary much from year to year. Can't say for sure that I was there, might have been Sunday instead (although that was a doubleheader and I can't see my Dad watching eighteen innings of baseball with four nine year olds in tow). My memory isn't so good fifty-five years later; best I can say is maybe. In any event I am sure that grand old stadium and that great Yankees team left a wonderful impression on your father.

[marvymelvin]

Wow guys thanks for the information. David that is amazing that you were more than likely at that game. I am curious the style of seat that would have been in that section that my Dad would have sat in. Would it have been the wooden slat flat back blue seats, curved wood, curved plastic???

[Kawika]

Brad: I went to a lot of games in those days. Almost always sat in the dollar-fifty grandstand seats. Curved wood backs is what I remember. Don't recall the flat back seats. Definitely wouldn't have been plastic. Don't buy a seat on my say so however. There's bound to be a stadium seat expert around here that will know for sure.

[marvymelvin]

I recently received in the mail a 1959 Yankees program that was claimed to be from this exact game. Throughout the whole program there is no identifier of what game or team it is from. Once I reached the score card I could see the team "Orioles" listed as the opposing team but still no reference as to what game. The card was scored so I then checked online resources up against the score, hits, players etc and it was in fact scored for game 4, April 25th 1959. I then saw after closer inspection the date in very faded pencil. I would have been happy with a generic 1959 program but this is so cool to have a program given out and used at the exact game and even scored. Dad did not have a program amongst his things.

But I do have another question. If the score card was not present and written on how would I know what game it was from? Did the Yankees print the same program for the whole season, and just insert a score card with the visiting team? And what if the score card was intact but not scored? Is there any other printing anywhere that one can use to identify the game?

Maybe I should be posting this story of Dad and questions about the game, stadium seats, and programs in the memorabilia section. I chose here because most everyone seems to check in here.

[ZenPop]

I just wanted to pipe in to say thanks for posting!

This is such a cool story and find. You must be so jazzed to have discovered that! What a treasure and story!

[kkkkandp]

I think this is a layout from about that time frame...

[moeson]

The Yankees would update their programs several times during a season. The scorecard insert would usually show a couple of upcoming homestand match-up which assists in pinpointing the month of the particular game being scored. Also look for updated rosters (e.g. "as of"...)

[TCMA]

Thanks for sharing this :) .