George Steinbrenner
| Birthdate | 07/04/1930 |
| Death Date | 07/13/2010 |
| Debut Year | 1973 |
| Year of Induction | |
| Teams | Yankees |
| Positions | Executive, Owner |
Under the ownership of George Steinbrenner the Yankees won eleven American League Pennants and seven World Series Championships.
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Under George Steinbrenner, the Yankees restored their greatness
Under George Steinbrenner, the Yankees restored their greatness
From 1923-1962 the New York Yankees won the World Series 20 times. They never waited more than three years between championships.
After the last of those Fall Classic triumphs, the franchise experienced a title drought. For the rest of the 60s as well as the early and mid-70s, New York failed to capture what was once a Yankee fan’s birthright.
Happy days returned under the demanding and sometimes chaotic ownership of George Steinbrenner. After buying the team in 1973, the Boss’s front office went to work.
General Manager Gabe Paul built the club through a series of trades. His swaps gave the club key pieces Chris Chambliss, Lou Piniella, Mickey Rivers, Willie Randolph and Bucky Dent.
In the middle of the 1975 Steinbrenner fired skipper Bill Virdon. Over the objections of his own GM, George hired the combustible Billy Martin as replacement.
In his first full season in 1976, Martin led the Yankees to their first American League pennant since 1964.
Before the 1977 season New York signed free-agents Catfish Hunter and former World Series MVP Reggie Jackson.
With the egos of Steinbrenner, Billy, and Reggie often clashing, the club won 100 games and repeated as AL champs. In the World Series the Yankees split the first two games against the Dodgers at New York.
Martin’s club rebounded to win two of the next three to put the team on the brink of the title. In Game 6 Reggie hit a home run on three consecutive pitches off of three different Los Angeles hurlers.
In all he hit five homers to drive in eight runs. Reggie finished with a World Series record 25 total bases to become the first position player to earn two World Series MVP nods.
New York’s glory was restored with their first Fall Classic triumph in a quarter century. Steinbrenner and the Yankees repeated as champs in ’78 and made the Series three years later.
The longest serving owner in club history, Steinbrenner ruled the proud franchise for 37 years. During his reign the Yanks won 11 American League pennants and 7 World Series titles.
Shown here is a ticket to the deciding game in the Steinbrenner Yankee’s first Fall Classic triumph. It his autographed by World Series MVP Reggie Jackson. Mr. October adds the inscription, “Mr. October 3WS HRS”.
George Steinbrenner was banned from the game from 1990-1993
George Steinbrenner was banned from the game from 1990-1993
George Steinbrenner was known for his combative nature and win-at-all-costs outlook. Soon after he bought the team, he delivered as the the Yankees won the 1976 American League pennant. The following year they earned the first of back-to-back World Series titles.
In December of 1980 the Yankees signed Dave Winfield to an unheard of 10-year, $23M contract. Though they won the ’81 pennant, New York come up short in the World Series against the Dodgers. Searching for another title, Steinbrenner grew increasingly impatient.
Everything started rubbing The Boss the wrong way. Much of his ire was reserved for Winfield. Reportedly resentful of the attention showered on his player, and hurt that Winfield’s foundation was not affiliated with the team, George’s upset brewed and forced him to act out.
The Yankee owner paid $40,000 small time gambler Howard Spira to dig up dirt on Winfield. As the plot to discredit the star came to light, the investigation by Commissioner Fay Vincent resulted in a lifetime ban.
George was initially defiant and filed lawsuits against Vincent and baseball. Soon fellow owners convinced him to made amends. After meeting with Vincent’s successor, Bud Selig, an agreement was hammered out. Selig agreed to reinstate the Yankee owner on the condition he would drop the lawsuits.
The Yankees went on to win four more World Series before Steinbrenner’s passing.
In the collection is this thank you note dated August 13, 1986 and written entirely in The Boss’s hand.
Steinbrenner's Yankees won four titles with their "core four"
Steinbrenner's Yankees won four titles with their "core four"
The George Steinbrenner Yankees won eleven American League pennants and seven World Series championships. Their first run of dominance started in 1976 when the began a run of three straight pennant-winning seasons. New York came away with back-to-back World Series championships in ’77’ and ’78.
Their next more dynastic run began in 1996, courtesy of the “core four” of Derek Jeter, Jorge Posada, Mariano Rivera, and Andy Pettitte. Under the steady hand of skipper Joe Torre, the quartet helped bring the hardware to New York in 1996, 1998, 1999, 2000, and 2009.
Steinbrenner passed away in 2010, leaving the team to his sons.
Shown here is the envelope for the thank-you note addressed by Steinbrenner. Postmarked from the Bronx, NY, the envelope must have been a thrill to open for its recipient.
Many believe George Steinbrenner belongs in the Hall of Fame
Many believe George Steinbrenner belongs in the Hall of Fame
Does George Steinbrenner belong in the Hall of Fame? Many think that’s the case. Not many owners are enshrined in Cooperstown and some believe former Cardinals owner Sam Breadon is the next in line.
Steinbrenner’s high profile will no doubt help and hinder his case for Cooperstown.
The back of the envelope is shown here with Steinbrenner writing his name and the address, “New York Yankees, Yankee Stadium, Bronx, NY, 10451”.
It’s easy to picture the Yankee owner with a plaque in baseball’s ultimate shrine.
