The rain didn’t scare off the George Costanza crowd at Yankee Stadium on Thursday. If anything, it seemed to sharpen the obsession.
Sam Podell, a 42-year-old Poughkeepsie native and New York resident, got to the ballpark at 3 p.m. and waited outside in the wet weather for a game that wouldn’t begin until 7:15 p.m. His jersey made the mission clear: a “Costanza” No.
00 Yankees jersey, worn for one reason only. He was there for the team’s annual George Costanza “Seinfeld” bobblehead giveaway.
This year’s version featured Costanza, played by Jason Alexander, in a Yankees letterman jacket and clutching a half-eaten calzone with both hands, a nod to the “Seinfeld” episode titled “The Calzone” from Season 7. The Yankees handed out 18,000 of them, and fans - whether they came for the team or for the sitcom - lined up hoping to land one.
For Podell, the wait was worth another shot. He said he arrived two hours before first pitch for last year’s giveaway and left empty-handed. This time, he gave himself four hours.
Matthew Nethercott of Westchester, N.Y., had his own reason for showing up early: the episode itself. He said he grew up watching the show because it was “always on” at his parents’ house, and the calzone-centered story has stuck with him.
In the episode, Costanza, the Yankees’ assistant to the traveling secretary, wins over a fictionalized George Steinbrenner during a meeting by bringing in a calzone stuffed with cheese, pepperoni and eggplant. Steinbrenner gets hooked, and Costanza’s arrangement turns into trouble once he runs into problems with the pizzeria that makes them.
“It’s actually one of my favorite calzones to order in real life,” Nethercott said. “After watching the episode, I tried it from my local pizzeria.”
The giveaway is now in its third year, and each one has tapped a different Costanza moment. The Yankees first rolled out a bobblehead in 2024 based on the image of Costanza teaching Bernie Williams and Derek Jeter how to hit while wearing a button-down shirt and tie.
Last year’s version had him sleeping under his desk. This time, the calzone took center stage.
The promotion has become one of the Yankees’ most popular of the season, and the market around it has been just as lively. Before the gates opened, presales from people promising buyers they’d secure the bobblehead climbed as high as $250 on eBay. By Thursday night, they were going for between $60 and $100.
The team has stuck with the 18,000-figure allotment, even with demand that likely outstripped supply. Yankees senior vice president of marketing Debbie Tymon said when the giveaway was first announced, “(The number) 18,000 is a standard threshold, and I also think it drives the collectability of the item.
I think it makes it unique,” Yankees senior vice president of marketing Debbie Tymon told The Athletic when the team first announced the giveaway. “Our fans come out early.
They line up. The excitement builds.
And it drives the collectibility of the piece. Everybody wants to complete their collection of the three Seinfeld bobbleheads.”
Craig Cartmell, the Yankees’ senior associate director of marketing, promotions, stadium events and broadcast marketing, said last year’s Costanza desk nap bobblehead was “probably by far our most popular giveaway.”
The Yankees have also extended the “Summer of George” theme beyond the bobblehead. The team sold “George’s Eggplant Calzone,” described as “a wood-fired calzone filled with smoky roasted eggplant, whipped ricotta, fresh mozzarella, and basil chiffonade and finished with a drizzle of extra-virgin olive oil and a touch of cracked black pepper.” For dessert, there was a “Hovering Angel” chocolate eclair sundae topped with Bosco chocolate sauce, a pair of references to Costanza’s eclair-from-the-trash moment in “The Gymnast” and the ATM PIN he won’t give up in “The Secret Code.”
Alexander himself has remained part of the creative process each time, according to Cartmell, but the Yankees and the actor still haven’t managed to have him involved in the festivities in person.
In Other News...
Yankees Prospect Yostin Pea Is Rising Faster Than Anyone Expected
Yostin Peas path into the Yankees system has already been unusual, but his first pro season has given the organization plenty to like. After a pre-agreement with the Cardinals was voided during an MLB investigation that questioned his identity, Pea landed with New York and has moved quickly enough to turn heads with his bat, enough that his early performance is drawing attention in prospect circles.
The Yankees also have him under the representation of Scott Boras, which usually signals a player with real upside and a long view ahead. Pea is still not sitting on official Top 30 prospect lists, but the buzz around him is growing, and for a farm system that always watches for hitters who can climb fast, he has become one of the more interesting names to follow. [Read more 🡒]
Spencer Jones Is Forcing A Yankees Outfield Decision Fast
Spencer Jones has turned a promising season into something the Yankees can no longer treat as a distant development project. In 2026, he has played his way into the outfield conversation with more complete work on both sides of the ball, showing the kind of versatility that gives a front office options and a lineup some needed flexibility. Just as important, his bat has come through in high-leverage spots, which has made his rise feel less like a nice stretch and more like a legitimate shift in the clubs plans.
For the Yankees, the ripple effect is already obvious as they start thinking about 2027 and beyond. Jones is pressing his case as an everyday starter, and if this level of production holds, he could even work his way onto a postseason roster sooner than expected. His emergence also makes Trent Grishams departure look more likely, which is the kind of roster decision teams only make when a younger player has forced the issue in a real way. [Read more 🡒]
Yankees Fans Have A Real Cy Young Debate Around Cam Schlittler
The Cy Young conversation around Cam Schlittler has started to get real, and not just inside Yankees circles. Jim Bowden of The Athletic recently pegged Schlittler as his pick to win the AL award over Dylan Cease, a choice that gives New York fans a fresh reason to pay attention to a race that usually starts with the sports biggest strikeout artists. Schlittlers case is built on steadiness, with Bowden pointing to how often hes kept opponents to one run or fewer in his starts.
Cease still has the more eye-catching strikeout total, but Schlittlers overall line has been right there in the mix, with a 2.16 ERA and 193 strikeouts in 158 innings. Cease sits at 2.37 with 209 strikeouts in 144.1 innings, which helps explain why this is turning into a genuine debate rather than a predictable finish. For Yankees fans, its the kind of argument that says Schlittler has moved beyond promising arm and into the conversation that matters most for pitching awards. [Read more 🡒]