The Yankees tonight honored late owner George Steinbrenner and public address announcer Bob Sheppard in a brief pregame ceremony at the Stadium.
After a five-minute video tribute to Steinbrenner, Mariano Rivera placed flowers on home plate and Derek Jeter addressed the crowd before calling for the moment of silence.
“We gather here tonight to honor two men who were both shining stars in the Yankee universe,” Jeter told the crowd. “Both men, Mr. George Steinbrenner and Mr. Bob Sheppard, cared deeply about their responsibilities to this organization and to our fans. For that they’ll forever be remembered in baseball history and in our hearts.
“Simply put, Mr. Steinbrenner and Mr. Sheppard both left this organization in a much better place than when they first arrived. They set the example for all the employees of the New York Yankees to try to follow.”
A playing of “Taps,” then “The Star-Spangled Banner” finished the 15-minute ceremony prior to the game against the Rays.
Steinbrenner, 80, died Tuesday morning, following the passing of Sheppard, 99, on Sunday.
Prior to the honors, Jeter said Steinbrenner was like family to him, and he took pride in living up to The Boss’ expectations.
“It’s all I’ve ever known playing for him and his expectation level,” the captain said. “He expected perfection. He spoke his mind. He challenged his players. If you couldn’t take it, you couldn’t play here. Everyone was aware of that.
“It could be tough at times. It was really tough on guys that didn’t come up through the organization and came over here and it sort of came out of left field. For me, I enjoyed it. We had a pretty close relationship.”
As a tribute to Sheppard, the public address system would remain silent throughout the game. Additional ceremonies will be held during tomorrow’s Old-Timers’ Day events at Yankee Stadium.
With Brian Costello