You’d think thousands of New York Yankees fans might line up for an early entrance into Yankee Stadium because the team hosted its most hated rival in the Boston Red Sox. And the fans definitely zigzagged around the ballpark long before Thursday night’s American League East grudge match. But it had little to nothing to do with the actual game.
Only one fictional character could draw attention away from Yankees-Red Sox: George Costanza.
The Yankees gave away a bobblehead of the iconic character referencing a season eight episode titled “The Nap” from the famed sitcom Seinfeld. In the episode, George (played by Jason Alexander), then working for the Yankees as assistant to the traveling secretary, commissioned a carpenter working for Jerry to build a custom sleep nook under his desk at Yankee Stadium. He was then caught under there by then Yankees owner George Steinbrenner’s grandson.
The Yankees are hosting Seinfeld Night tonight and giving away this bobblehead of George Costanza sleeping under his desk 😂
“I love a good nap. Sometimes it’s the only thing getting me out of bed in the morning.” 💤 pic.twitter.com/9oZmJxw7QX
— MLB (@MLB) August 21, 2025
The bobblehead was given to the first 18,000 fans who entered the stadium. Doors opened early — two hours before first pitch — to absorb the crush of fans for the promotion. Pre-sales of the item occurred across eBay with purchases as high as $499 in early July. Prices leading up to Thursday’s ranged between $165 and $230. Many listings for the bobblehead popped up on eBay from fans inside Yankee Stadium right after receiving the giveaway with “buy it now” prices ranging between $150 and $250.
Tickets to the Yankees-Red Sox game were available Thursday morning as low as $69 (including fees) on StubHub. By comparison, tickets for Friday’s game against Boston could be had for $35.
The line for George Costanza bobblehead night pic.twitter.com/M6kdSqva2U
— Chris Kirschner (@ChrisKirschner) August 21, 2025
For last season’s Seinfeld Night, the Yankees gave away a bobblehead of George in a batting pose from an episode where he taught real-life Yankees Bernie Williams and Derek Jeter how to hit.
Yankees’ senior vice president of marketing Debbie Tymon pointed to Craig Cartmell, the team’s senior associate marketing director, as being the mastermind behind the team’s latest Costanza bobblehead idea.
“We looked at so many different images but the standard joke was in the old stadium, when the glass windows looked out on the field, when George slept under his desk, that’s a consistent theme running joke in the building,” Tymon told The Athletic. “If we have an idea, Craig goes to work at sorting samples and creative concepts and ideas and I can tell you generationally, he (recommends) certain items that maybe I personally never would have considered as promo items that he’s brought to the table in the last few years.”
The Yankees also sold Seinfeld-themed shirts, hoodies, and hats Thursday inside the stadium. The hoodies sported a quote from Costanza on the back: “Hey, did you know that the Yankees don’t wear cotton jerseys?”
Ruth, Gehrig, DiMaggio, Mantle… Costanza?!
This “Seinfeld Night,” shop Yankees x Seinfeld hats, shirts, and hoodies in the Yankee Stadium Team Store by Section 119 🙌 pic.twitter.com/Gl7omcW0SA
— Yankee Stadium (@yankeestadium) August 21, 2025
While this is only the second year the Yankees will hold a Seinfeld Night, the New York Mets and its minor league affiliates have had several bobblehead giveaways tied to the show. The Brooklyn Cyclones, a High-A affiliate of the Mets, have done bobbleheads of George in his Gore-Tex coat, and pulling a golf ball out of a whale’s blowhole while pretending to be a marine biologist. The Jacksonville Jumbo Shrimp, a Triple-A affiliate of the Miami Marlins, also gave away one of George eating so many shrimp that it prompted a call from the ocean.
The character has proven popular in trading card form, too. 2021 Panini National Treasures cards featuring pieces of a Yankees jersey worn by Alexander have sold for $1,000 or more on at least five occasions and numerous unofficial Costanza cards have been produced.
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(Top photo: eBay)