Derek Jeter breaks Lou Gerhig's record for most hits at Yankee stadium

Derek Jeter further solidified his place in the annals of New York Yankees history by passing Lou Gerhig for most career hits at Yankee Stadium. Jeter hit a single off of the Chicago White Sox Gavin Floyd in the first inning of Tuesday night’s game. The hit was Jeter’s 1,270th in the venerable stadium which will be replaced next season by a brand new incarnation of Yankee Stadium.

The current stadium has been the home of the New York Yankees since 1923. It has been the site of not only countless historically significant moments in baseball, but in football (it served has the home of the New York Giants for nearly 20 years) and boxing as well. The stadium was the venue for the 1958 NFL championship game between the Giants and the Baltimore Colts, which the Colts won in OT behind QB Johnny Unitas. The game has been called “the greatest game ever played” and is often credited with pushing the popularity of the NFL to the next level.

Joe Louis defeated Max Schmelling in their 1936 rematch at Yankee Stadium, arguably the biggest boxing event ever held at the venue (and one of the most significant in the history of the sport). In addition, Yankee Stadium was the site of the first televised boxing match in US history. That 1939 event saw Max Baer defeat Lou Nova. In 1946, Tony Zale knocked out Rocky Graziano to win the middleweight title in the first installment of their epic trilogy. The most recent high profile boxing match took place in 1976, when Muhammad Ali defeated Ken Norton by unanimous decision in their third and final encounter.

The stadium will be replaced by a $1.3 billion facility across the street, which is slated to open in time for the Yankees’ 2009 regular season opener. After it does, the old stadium will eventually be demolished to make room for additional parking.

In addition to breaking Gerhig’s record for most hits in the stadium, Jeter also moved past him for 2nd place on the Yankees all time AB list. It was Jeter’s 8,002nd Major League at bat, putting him well within striking distance of Mickey Mantle’s all time Yankee record of 8,102.