Hal Steinbrenner enrages New York Yankees fanbase with comments about last year: "There’s no way he’s related to George"
When the New York Yankees won 99 games last season, everyone thought the season would be sure to culminate in a World Series. The team finished the regular season second in the AL and hit more home runs than anybody else.
From starting pitching to the home run king Aaron Judge's record-setting 62 bombs, the pinstripes looked unstoppable. That all came crashing down when the ALCS arrived.
The New York Yankees faced off against the Houston Astros in a rematch of the 2019 ALCS. Despite being one of the most hyped teams ever, the Yankees were swept in four straight games.
Recently, owner Hal Steinbrenner made some comments regarding the 2022 campaign, saying that the 99-win season was "not a failure."
"I’m not gonna look at last year and the amount of games we won and say it was a failure"
Hal Steinbrenner says a season ending without a championship for the Yankees doesn't mean it's a failure:
bit.ly/42MOUCQ
""I’m not gonna look at last year and the amount of games we won and say it was a failure" Hal Steinbrenner says a season ending without a championship for the Yankees doesn't mean it's a failure:" - WFAN Sports Radio
Needless to say, New York Yankees fans were positively enraged. While the scion of one of America's most well-known families was likely trying to comfort the fanbase, he seemed to do exactly the opposite.
@WFAN660 hal it was a failed season
@WFAN660 Because you look at profit margins, ticket sales & merchandise revenue...winning is so far down on your list of priorities that it borders on the criminal side for the fans
@WFAN660 Not surprising. As long as they make the playoffs everything is fine.
Many comments popped up comparing Hal to his father George, who owned the franchise from 1973 until his death in 2010. George "The Boss" Steinbrenner brought seven World Series to the Bronx and was known for his hands-on style.
@WFAN660 This apple fell as far from the tree as possible.
@WFAN660 Unbelievable Hal Steinbrenner wants to be second-best
That’s why his father George was the best owner in all of professional sports
@WFAN660 There’s no way he’s related to George
Hal Steinbrenner is the chairman of Yankee Global Enterprises, a limited liability company that was set up during his father's tenure. For all intents and purposes, Hal Steinbrenner is the current owner of the New York Yankees.
@WFAN660 SELL THE TEAM!!!
@WFAN660 He’s the failure!!!!
@WFAN660 WRONG ANSWER HAL.
The way in which the Yankees terminated their 2022 season is what has fans particularly sour. The team lost to the Houston Astros in the 2019 ALCS, while news from the Astros' 2017 sign-stealing scandal was very fresh. Ever since Astros players have been booed relentlessly every time they get to Yankee Stadium.
@WFAN660 Hal just wants participation trophies now
If the 2022 New York Yankees season was a failure, 2023 has been a catastrophe
While it's true that the 2022 season is water under the bridge, perhaps their team's current woes are fostering feelings of nostalgia among the Yankee faithful.
The team now has a record of 26-20, which puts them 6.5 behind the Tampa Bay Rays in the AL East. After trading spots with the Boston Red Sox for last place for weeks, 2023 shows no signs of being any better for fans.
As Hal's father certainly knows, appeasing the fanbase when you aren't winning is a task that is nearly impossible to obtain when you're dealing with a team like the Yankees.