New York ? Joe Torre will remain as manager of the New York Yankees, finally getting the word from owner George Steinbrenner after the team’s surprise elimination from the playoffs last weekend.

Torre spoke with Steinbrenner on the telephone Tuesday, shortly before he walked into the interview room at Yankee Stadium and made the announcement.

“He gave me his support,” Torre said. “I’m just pleased I’m able to stay on and do this.”

Torre didn’t go into detail about his conversations with Steinbrenner.

But Steinbrenner, in a statement issued through spokesman Howard Rubenstein, said he told Torre: “‘You’re back for the year. I expect a great deal from you and the entire team. I have high expectations, and I want to see enthusiasm, a fighting spirit and a team that works together. Responsibility is yours, Joe, and all of the Yankees’.

“Yes, I am deeply disappointed about our loss this year,” Steinbrenner added. “We have to do better, and I deeply want a championship. It’s about time.”

Torre said he also spoke to Steinbrenner on Monday “for probably 15, 20 minutes, and we discussed a lot of things: the team, what we do from here and things like that.”

After the Yankees were eliminated by the Detroit Tigers – the second straight time they were gone in the first round – there was much speculation about what Steinbrenner would do with his 66-year-old manager.

First he was out; then he was in.

Torre has led the Yankees to 11 consecutive playoff berths and nine AL East titles in a row. Lou Piniella, who served two terms as Yankees manager in the 1980s, was viewed as the most likely replacement.

Torre didn’t make any public statements Sunday or Monday as camera crews camped outside his home in suburban Westchester.

“I thought I had the cure for cancer or something,” Torre said.

While the Yankees won four World Series titles in Torre’s first five seasons, they haven’t won any since 2000, angering the demanding Steinbrenner. They haven’t even reached the World Series since 2003.