The frail owner was in Tampa, Fla., when New York beat Philadelphia 7-3 on Wednesday night to secure another championship, but there's no doubt the outcome brought a smile to his face.
``He's the reason we're here,'' captain Derek Jeter said. ``First of all, we wouldn't be in this stadium if it wasn't for him. We wouldn't have this group together if it wasn't for him. This is a special moment. We all tried to win it for him. He deserves it.''
It was the 79-year-old Steinbrenner's seventh crown since he bought the team in 1973 and first since turning over the day-to-day operations to his son, Hal, last November.
``Dad, I know you're at home watching with mom,'' Hal Steinbrenner said after accepting the championship trophy. ``This one is for you.''
George Steinbrenner has made few public appearances since his health deteriorated in recent years. He attended the first two games against the Phillies, returning to the new Yankee Stadium for the first time since opening day.
Hal and his brother Hank talked to their father during the clinching game.
``He's happy now,'' Hank Steinbrenner said. ``Like I said, he was just, I say teary-eyed, emotional, very emotional.''
Long after the players filed off the field, there was a picture of the trophy and the message ``BOSS, THIS IS FOR YOU'' displayed on the massive videoboard in center.
``He built this ballpark for us,'' Game 6 winner Andy Pettitte said. ``He put this team together. He set a standard for us to uphold. These guys embraced it, and that makes it even sweeter to accomplish what we did.''
TM & Copyright 2009 CBS Radio Inc. and its relevant subsidiaries. CBS RADIO & EYE Logo TM & Copyright 2009 CBS Broadcasting Inc. Used under license. All Rights Reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed. TheAssociated Press contributed to this report.
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