Hal Steinbrenner didn't equivocate.
"If we don't make the playoffs, it's a failure," the Yankees owner told reporters Wednesday afternoon at the quarterly owners' meetings in Chicago. "Any year, any year. That's just the mindset for us."
Told of the remarks later in the day, Joe Girardi had little reaction.
"That's how we look at it every year," he said before Wednesday night's game against the Mets at Citi Field.
Before the season there were modest expectations from the outside as contention was thought to be a year away. But a 38-23 start changed the equation and the Yankees entered Wednesday 4 { games behind the Red Sox in the AL East and the clear favorite for one of the two wild-card spots.
"It was a great first two-and-a-half months," Steinbrenner said, according to MLB.com. "It's been a tough last two months for the most part. But I think they're coming out of it and the pitching additions we made at the deadline are already helping, and we're going to have a strong last five, six weeks."
.jpg?w=600)
