Hal Steinbrenner blames Yankees’ position players for ‘unacceptable’ playoff exit

New York Yankees owner Hal Steinbrenner said at the team’s October 21 end-of-season news conference that position players bore most responsibility for its playoff exit after a three-game Division Series sweep by the Tampa Bay Rays. He called the finish unacceptable and defended manager Aaron Boone and general manager Brian Cashman.

Steinbrenner said he did not believe the season’s ending should be pinned on Boone or Cashman. In his view, the greater problem was the position players’ inability to score consistently throughout much of the season. He called the season a failure because the Yankees fell short in the postseason, while saying that 93 wins and reaching the Division Series were not failures in themselves, CBS Sports reported.

How the Yankees’ scoring changed in the playoffs

Steinbrenner cited injuries, including long absences for Aaron Judge and Giancarlo Stanton, while discussing the offense. CBS Sports reported that Judge went on the injured list with a rib fracture after his May 31 game, returned for seven games in September, then suffered a calf strain and missed the postseason. NewsJaws previously covered Judge’s calf injury.

CBS Sports’ batting splits show the Yankees hitting .243 with a .334 on-base percentage through May 31, compared with .230 and .297 after May 31. Steinbrenner said the offense had been inconsistent for long stretches and that he would examine what went wrong.

Steinbrenner’s assessment of Boone and Cashman

Steinbrenner defended the roster Cashman assembled, saying it was as good as any in baseball in his opinion. Cashman is set to return for a 30th season as general manager: he said the sides had agreed to a new contract, with details still to be finalized. NewsJaws has separately reported on the contract agreement. CBS Sports said no decision had been announced about the coaching staff, including hitting coach James Rowson.