The Yankees honored The Boss with a pregame ceremony last night, and he will have a private funeral today in Florida.
But the Bombers homage to George Steinbrenner won’t stop there. The team will honor him every game the rest of the season by wearing a GMS patch, which also includes the words “The Boss,” on their uniforms.
The Yankees, who scored a 5-4 come-from-behind victory over the Rays last night at the Stadium, also have a patch sown onto their left sleeve to honor legendary announcer Bob Sheppard — who passed away on Sunday at 99. The Steinbrenner patch, though, gets a place of prominence — just above the interlocking NY on their uniforms, right over the hearts. And Derek Jeter said that’s exactly where it’s supposed to be.
PHOTOS: YANKEES HONOR STEINBRENNER, SHEPPARD
“It’s fitting that’s where it is, right above the NY. It is an honor. It was an honor playing for him, and it’s an honor playing for his family still, because they have the same mindset,” Jeter said before the Yankees took on Steinbrenner’s hometown Tampa Bay Rays. “Every day you walk into the stadium, you think of The Boss, because we wouldn’t be here if it wasn’t for him.”
The normally stoic Joe Girardi got emotional and teary-eyed during the pregame video montage to honor Steinbrenner, and said things won’t be same around the Stadium without the Boss’ aura, which was omnipresent even when he wasn’t.
But the manager said the patch will serve as a constant reminder of the late owner, whom the Yankees hailed yesterday as the best in all of team sports. The manager said he’s sure The Boss still will be keeping a critical eye on his team — he’ll just be doing it from a much higher suite now.
“It’ll feel different, but we’ll be reminded every day with what’s on our jerseys that The Boss is now just watching from above,” Girardi said. “I’m sure he’ll get upset when we don’t win. I’m sure that won’t change, and his expectation will be high. The standards he set here won’t change. But to me he lives in everyone’s heart.
“Mr. Steinbrenner should be remembered every day, and it’s not the patch on our heart, but what he left inside of us. But I think the patch will open up for conversation with a son or a daughter might say ‘Mommy or daddy, why is that patch there?’ And his legacy will continue because of the patch, and people will talk about him and what he meant here. And I think it’s a great learning tool.”
The Yankees — who trailed 3-1 in the sixth and 4-3 in the eighth rallied in front of 47,524 fans, many waving signs and placards in honor of memory of Steinbrenner. They tied the game in the eight and naturally won it 5-4 in the ninth, mobbing Nick Swisher like he had won a playoff game.
Or more accurately, Steinbrenner’s game.
brian.lewis@nypost.com