Name That Stadium

Chicago1976

Need some help please. I've had this autographed Roy Sievers photo for a few years, but cannot positively identify the stadium or the catcher. It was taken in 1960 or 1961, when Sievers was with the White Sox. Outfielder Al Smith appears to be on deck. Best guess is Yankee Stadium with Elston Howard behind the plate? I've "googled" with no luck. Thanks!

Gansetttime

Could be a spring training photo? If so, good luck on the stadium.

jlvette50

Thought spring training as well, but the fencing looks similar to photo towards bottom of this link where Maris hit his 61st HR.

https://thisgreatgame.com/1961-baseball-history/

Chicago1976

Thank you....did not think of that. It could very well be a spring training site. That might explain the odd fencing.

SDSportsFan

Looking at the link provided by jlvette50 above, I think it is Yankee Stadium. Same fence, same railings in the seats, and that black column about 5 railings up, looks to match the position of the columns in the Maris 61st HR photo.

Steve

SDSportsFan

I've narrowed it down to six possible games, if it is Yankee Stadium. These are the only games between the White Sox and Yankees in New York, that Roy Sievers and Al Smith hit back to back, and Elston Howard was the Yankees catcher:

9 Jun 1960 / 2PM start - HP Ump Charlie Berry
24 Aug 1960 / 2PM start - HP Ump Larry Napp
25 Jul 1961 / 6PM start (Game 1) - HP Ump Charlie Berry
25 Jul 1961 / 8:45PM start (Game 2) - HP Ump Joe Linsalata
27 Jul 1961 / 8PM start - HP Ump Bob Stewart
17 Aug 1961 / Day game - HP Ump Al Smith

Steve

Historicalwood71

Looks like a Florida spring training game.

SDSportsFan

If you go to GettyImages.com and search for Roy Sievers photos from 1960 and 1961, that exact photo comes up. It is captioned as follows:

Roy Sievers At Bat
American professional baseball player Roy Sievers (right) of the Chicago White Sox prepares to swing at home plate during a game with the New York Yankees at Yankee Stadium, Bronx, New York, August 1961. (Photo by Robert Riger/Getty Images)

Here's the exact link:

https://www.gettyimages.com/detail/news-photo/american-professional-baseball-player-roy-sievers-of-the-news-photo/57206576?adppopup=true

Steve

nam812

Great effort on your part Steve for a fellow board member. I applaud you sir.

SDSportsFan

And here's another picture from the same game, of Elston Howard (notice the umpire is the same as in the Sievers photo:

https://www.gettyimages.com/detail/news-photo/elston-howard-of-the-new-york-yankees-bats-and-sherm-lollar-news-photo/99157369?adppopup=true

Steve

BaltimoreYankee

I'm always amazed at the amount of sleuthing that goes on here. Great stuff!

dontippet

@SDSportsFan said:
I've narrowed it down to six possible games, if it is Yankee Stadium. These are the only games between the White Sox and Yankees in New York, that Roy Sievers and Al Smith hit back to back, and Elston Howard was the Yankees catcher:

9 Jun 1960 / 2PM start - HP Ump Charlie Berry
24 Aug 1960 / 2PM start - HP Ump Larry Napp
25 Jul 1961 / 6PM start (Game 1) - HP Ump Charlie Berry
25 Jul 1961 / 8:45PM start (Game 2) - HP Ump Joe Linsalata
27 Jul 1961 / 8PM start - HP Ump Bob Stewart
17 Aug 1961 / Day game - HP Ump Al Smith

Steve

Great detective work. Does anybody have access to weather data for these dates. This is a very sunny day, so any cloudy days could be removed from the list.

Chicago1976

@SDSportsFan said:
If you go to GettyImages.com and search for Roy Sievers photos from 1960 and 1961, that exact photo comes up. It is captioned as follows:

Roy Sievers At Bat
American professional baseball player Roy Sievers (right) of the Chicago White Sox prepares to swing at home plate during a game with the New York Yankees at Yankee Stadium, Bronx, New York, August 1961. (Photo by Robert Riger/Getty Images)

Here's the exact link:

https://www.gettyimages.com/detail/news-photo/american-professional-baseball-player-roy-sievers-of-the-news-photo/57206576?adppopup=true

Steve

Thank you Steve! Great detective work. Appreciate everyone's help. I am always impressed with the expertise on this board.

SDSportsFan

The picture is definitely from Aug 17, 1961.

Here's another picture from Getty Images, showing Nellie Fox at bat with Jim Landis on deck. Notice the same umpire, along with the same man in the grey jacket sitting in the front row next to the boy in the red jacket, and one row up to the left, the man in the yellow shirt. Fox and Landis hit back-to-back in the White Sox lineup only in the Aug 17, game, of the games I listed above.

https://media.gettyimages.com/photos/nellie-fox-of-the-chicago-white-sox-bats-during-a-game-against-the-picture-id99157346

Steve

dontippet

That's awesome. He only asked for the stadium, and not only did we do that, but we identified the exact date along with naming many individuals in the photo.