Gary Sánchez

Yankees owner Hal Steinbrenner is getting 'emotional' over his young players

Published Nov. 15, 2016 3:05 p.m. ET

Chris Bahr

Owning the New York Yankees comes with a lot of pressure, and having to sell prior to the trade deadline is as stressful as it is unfamiliar.

That was the situation Hal Steinbrenner faced when he had to green-light the trades of Aroldis Chapman, Andrew Miller, Carlos Beltran and Ivan Nova, and then sign off on the unconditional release of Alex Rodriguez.

However, he admittedly felt a sense of validation after rookies Aaron Judge and Tyler Austin both homered in their first major-league at-bats Saturday – one day after A-Rod’s farewell.

"I was emotional. It doesn't happen often." Steinbrenner told reporters on Wednesday, according to the New York Daily News. "I'm very excited about this."

In addition to the immediate impacts Judge and Austin have made, fellow rookie Gary Sanchez homered for the fifth time in the past seven games on Wednesday.

Gary Sanchez and Aaron Judge (Rich Schultz/Getty Images)

So far, so good. But it leads to an interesting debate about which scenario seems more far-fetched: George Steinbrenner getting ‘emotional,’ or George Steinbrenner selling at the deadline? Hal Steinbrenner addressed the notion of the deadline surrender:

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Gary Sánchez

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