Fifty years later, the location of that game is almost as memorable to those who played in it as its result.
"To me, to play in Yankee Stadium was one of the greatest thrills I ever had," said Colts Hall of Fame defensive end Gino Marchetti, who grew up in suburban San Francisco and followed the Yankees because of fellow San Franciscan Joe DiMaggio. "I never felt like that in my life. Never really ever felt that sentimental over a stadium. ... It was really awesome. To look back at 1958, one of the most important parts was walking in and walking around the stadium and out to center field. It was really a great feeling."
The place, because of its history, routinely reduces professional athletes to ebullient fans.
"When you are a baseball player and a baseball fan and you walk into Yankee Stadium, it is pretty amazing," said Orioles first baseman Kevin Millar, who has heard his share of Bronx cheers while playing for the Orioles and Boston Red Sox. "You know this is where Babe Ruth played, where Mickey Mantle played and Joe DiMaggio. As a baseball fan, it is hands down the best."
Orioles manager Dave Trembley remembers his father driving the family once a year to the Bronx from their home in Carthage, N.Y., so his kids could see their heroes.
Trembley will never forget witnessing Mantle blasting a homer in a driving rainstorm that gave the Yankees a victory in a game that was called 10 minutes later because of inclement weather.
Former Oriole Ken Singleton, now a Yankees broadcaster, played baseball games as a teen in a park across from Yankee Stadium, hearing the crowd's roar while "hoping I'd get in there one day."
When he did, Singleton had to deal with the renowned bleacher creatures in right field who chanted for the beloved pinstripes while taunting visiting clubs.
"I remember standing in right field one night and somebody from the stands with a voice louder than the others said, 'We'd get on you more, but you are from here and you probably know somebody we know and you could find us,' " Singleton recalled. "I thought that was pretty funny. And it was probably true."
Not all visitors were treated with such respect.
"There have been people there over the years that probably went overboard," said another former Oriole, Hall of Fame first baseman Eddie Murray. "But, still, you don't really respond. You don't listen to them. You don't acknowledge them. That's basically how you played there."
