Bleacher Creatures

Lore & Background

The founding of the Yankees Bleacher Creatures is often credited to Ali Ramirez. Ramirez rang a cowbell to inspire the fans to cheer, much like Freddy Sez's efforts in the Stadium's main grandstand, during the team's limited success in the early 1980s and 1990s. In 1986, a New York Daily News article stated that Ramirez went to almost every home Yankees game for more than 20 years. Ramirez died on May 8, 1996, and was given a tribute by the Yankees front office before the May 14 game against the Seattle Mariners, a game in which Yankees pitcher Dwight Gooden threw a no-hitter.

There was a plaque where he sat, in section 39, row A, seat 29 which read "This seat is taken. In memory of Ali Ramirez, 'The Original Bleacher Creature.'" A similar plaque was added to the new stadium. For the last two decades of the original Yankee Stadium, the Creatures occupied sections 37 and 39 of the right field bleachers.

In 2009, when the Yankees' new stadium was built, they were relocated and currently sit in section 203 of the right-field bleachers. Because of the rowdiness of the fans, and the fact that many families began sitting in the more affordable bleachers, alcoholic beverages were banned from the bleachers in 2000. In 2009, the Yankees lifted the nine-year alcohol ban in the bleachers in the new Yankee Stadium, where the Bleacher Creatures were relocated to section 203.

While no beer vendors come through to the bleachers, fans are permitted to purchase beer in the stadium and take them back to their seats. An April 2009 segment on ABC World News Tonight revealed that the end of the beer ban is a temporary experiment, and if things get out of hand in the section, the Yankees' management might reinstate it. As of June 29, 2024, alcohol is still permitted in the bleacher sections.

Reader's Guide

The Bleacher Creatures currently sit in section 203 of the right-field bleachers at Yankee Stadium. Their most famous chant is the roll call, which starts in the first inning after the pitcher throws the first pitch of the game, with the Creatures chanting the names of Yankees players in the field until the players acknowledge them. The roll call began in 1998 when fans, led by Ramirez, started chanting the name of Yankees first baseman Tino Martinez, who responded with a wave. Notable exceptions to the roll call include former or deceased members of the Yankees, such as David Wells in 1999, Ichiro Suzuki in 2012, and Bernie Williams in 2006.

Did You Know?

• The term 'bleacher creature' has been used in reference to dedicated fans and supporters since the early 1980s.
• Yankees pitcher David Cone spent the 2002 season's home opener with the Bleacher Creatures in section 39 and participated in their chants.
• U.S. Supreme Court Justice Sonia Sotomayor has sat with the Bleacher Creatures.