Asked by Meredith Marakovits of the YES Network where the difference lies between the Astros and the Yankees after another playoff loss to Houston, Hal Steinbrenner pointed to New York’s untimely injuries heading into the postseason.
“I think we all have to realize that the team we fielded on Opening Day that Cash put together was one of the most dominant teams in all of baseball not for weeks, but for months,” Steinbrenner said. “Then we got hit by a lot of significant injuries, a good amount of significant injuries…season-ending injuries in some cases, and it affected us.
“Had we rolled into the postseason relatively healthy, particularly with players like [Andrew] Benintendi and [DJ] LeMahieu, really good contact hitters, I think we would have done better in the playoffs and scored more runs.”
Benintendi was lost for the season with a broken hamate bone in his hand, while LeMahieu tried to give it a go with a toe injury that sapped his power, but ultimately couldn’t return. But it was once again a nod to injuries as an explanation for a team that has used that refrain too many times in recent years, rather than addressing depth.
“Houston is a great team,” Steinbrenner said. “Not taking anything away from them. But when you’re facing great pitching, you gotta have a balanced lineup, and with those two guys injured, I think it affected us. All teams have injuries. Tampa had a lot of injuries and it hurt them in the playoffs too. It’s a fact of life…I think we showed we were very close the first three and a half months of the season. That was the team we wanted in the field...that’s the team we expected to be on the field the whole year.”
‘I’m not gonna make excuses. They did go into the playoffs a bit healthier than us, But like I said, they’re a great team. I don’t believe they’re doing anything we’re not doing.”
Follow Ryan Chichester on Twitter: @ryanchichester1
Follow WFAN on Social Media
Twitter | Facebook | Instagram | YouTube | Twitch
Listen live to WFAN:
Audacy App | Online Stream | Smart Speaker (just say ‘Play W-F-A-N’)
