A Fan Takes Some Snaphots Of The New York Giants At The Polo Grounds c. 1909

The San Francisco Giants opened the 2026 baseball season playing the New York Yankees.

There was no interleague play between American and National League teams until 1997.

But had the Giants played the Yankees 117 years ago neither team would have had to travel as their home ballparks were both in upper Manhattan. The Yankees playing their games at Hilltop Park at 168th St. and Broadway, while the Giants home field was at The Polo Grounds,155th Street and 8th Avenue.

Unlike today where everybody has a camera in their phones, few fans brought cameras to baseball games in the early 1900s.

Postcard view of Polo Grounds after fire 1911 photo via: Jim Chapman & The Chapman Deadball Collection

These snapshot photos below were made by an amateur photographer sometime around 1909. The only labeling on the photos was “New York Giants.” No mention is made of the date or opposition.

We know these photos are pre-1911 as the Polo Grounds, built of wood suffered a devastating fire April 14, 1911. The new ballpark was rebuilt in a little over two months. Incredibly the Giants were playing again in their new concrete and steel stadium on June 28, 1911.

The first photograph is taken from the Ninth Avenue Elevated terminus at the Polo Grounds.

The next photo shows the baseball park with Coogan’s Bluff and the apartment buildings overlooking The Polo Grounds.

From the first base side of the field players are warming up before the game begins.

The final photo from the third base side of the field shows the stands filled with fans and the game in action.