Results tagged ‘ Mark Teixeira ’

Teixeira back in Yankees lineup

080310teixeira.jpgMark Teixeira caught a flight from New York this morning, saying goodbye to his wife Leigh and their newborn 8 lb., 7 oz. baby boy William. He might have been at Columbia Presbyterian, but Teixeira said he kept one eye on the Yankees.

“I was at the hospital the whole time, but luckily they had the YES Network,” Teixeira said. “I got to watch the games, which was great. Obviously I’ve missed games in my career, but anytime you’re not even in the stadium; I’ve been in the training room with ice on my ankle or whatever, watching the game on TV, but it’s not very often that you’re at home watching the team.” 
Teixeira said there were no second thoughts in his mind about where he needed to be, with Joe Girardi and Brian Cashman both on board.
“It’s automatic,” Teixeira said. “I wouldn’t be able to live with myself if I missed my child’s birth or if anything happened. There’s no question in my mind. I talked with Joe and Cash beforehand and said this was the deal, this is what’s going to happen, and if it happens to be when we’re on the road, I may need to miss a couple of games. They were obviously great with it.”

Teixeira could rejoin Yankees Thursday

Mark Teixeira and his wife, Leigh, welcomed young William Charles into the world this afternoon. Congratulations to them. Yankees manager Joe Girardi said that he expects Teixeira to rejoin the club at some point in Kansas City, where the team opens a four-game series on Thursday.

Robinson Cano is out of the lineup due to a fever. They’re hopeful he can play tomorrow. 
The Yankees have cut BP a little short today, coming off the field at 6 p.m. CT sharp. They also went out with those light-weight dry-fit t-shirts on, instead of jerseys — Girardi’s call. Surprisingly, it’s hot in Texas.

7/24 – Yankees vs. Royals

Some assorted notes from Yankee Stadium for this afternoon’s 1:05 p.m. ET game against the Kansas City Royals:
MAN ON A MISSION: 3B Alex Rodriguez hit his 599th career HR in Thursday’s win vs. Kansas City, and with his next home run will become the seventh player all time to reach the 600-homer plateau…will become the second player to reach the mark as a Yankee, joining Babe Ruth.
? Hit his first career HR (off Tom Gordon, 6/12/95), his 499th HR (off Gil Meche, 7/25/07) and 500th HR (off Kyle Davies, 8/4/07) against the Royals…is 3-for-4 with 1 HR – No. 500 – in his career against today’s starter RHP Kyle Davies…according to SABR’s David Vincent, no pitcher has given up multiple milestones of either a 500th, 600th or 700th  homer…only two teams have allowed both a 500th and 600th HR – San Diego (Eddie Murray’s 500th and Willie Mays’ 600th) and Pittsburgh (Mike Schmidt’s 500th and Barry Bonds’ 600th).
UNDER THE SUN: The Yankees are 24-12 (.667) in day games this season, tying Chicago-AL for the second-best winning percentage in day contests this season…only Detroit (25) has more daytime wins in 2010…the Royals (.298) and the Yankees (.290) have the two highest batting averages in day games this season…the Yankees have hit 50HR (third most in the Majors) in 36 day contests. 
SPREADING THE WEALTH: 2B Robinson Cano (67R, 66RBI) and 1B Mark Teixeira (71R, 66RBI) are one of two sets teammates in the Majors this season to each record at least 60R and 60RBI (also Texas’ Josh Hamilton and Vladimir Guerrero)…along with 3B Alex Rodriguez (50R, 78RBI) and RF Nick Swisher (61R, 56RBI), the Yankees are the only team to boast four players each with at least 50R and 50RBI in 2010.
YANKEES (61-34)
Derek Jeter DH, Curtis Granderson CF, Mark Teixeira 1B, Alex Rodriguez 3B, Robinson Cano 2B, Jorge Posada C, Marcus Thames RF, Colin Curtis LF, Ramiro Pena SS
RHP Sergio Mitre (0-1, 2.88)
ROYALS (41-55)
Scott Podsednik LF, Jason Kendall C, Billy Butler 1B, Jose Guillen RF, Alex Gordon DH, Wilson Betemit 3B, Rick Ankiel CF, Yuniesky Betancourt SS, Chris Getz 2B
RHP Kyle Davies (4-6, 5.45)

For the moment, Yanks going with Mitre

Some notes and quotes from around the New York media this morning as we gear up for the July 31 non-waivers Trade Deadline…

  • Yankees GM Brian Cashman told the New York Daily News’ Peter Botte that “Cliff Lee was a special case” and that situations like this are why Sergio Mitre is on the team. It sounds like Mitre will get every chance to keep the rotation moving through until Pettitte returns in an estimated four to five weeks. The New York Post’s Larry Brooks doesn’t believe it.

  • The Yankees – as well as the Red Sox – have significant interest in Blue Jays reliever Scott Downs, according to AOL FanHouse’s Ed Price. Yankees scout (and former outfielder) Kevin Reese was watching the Blue Jays last night, writes the New York Post’s Brian Costello.

  • The Daily News also notes that the Yankees are not expected to pursue the Astros’ Roy Oswalt. Makes sense – Oswalt is owed $16 million for 2011 and has an option for 2012, and with Pettitte and Javier Vazquez no locks to return next year, the Yankees might be gearing to spend that money on Cliff Lee.

  • Mark Teixeira’s new batting stance is paying dividends, writes the Newark (N.J.) Star-Ledger’s Mike Mazzeo. Derek Jeter is getting frustrated with his slump, writes The New York Times’ Joe LaPointe, who quotes Joe Girardi as saying Jeter has “a few more wrinkles in his forehead.”

  • Remember Jon Weber? The career Minor Leaguer nearly made the Yankees this spring and retired on Thursday after playing his final game with the Toledo Mud Hens in the Tigers chain. Major League Baseball hit him yesterday with a 100-game suspension for “a third positive test for a drug of abuse in violation of the Minor League Drug Prevention and Treatment Program.”

    • Kangaroo court is in session

    The Yankees had their first kangaroo court session of the year yesterday, with the Hon. Mariano Rivera presiding. It took about an hour for the players to get through the list of offenses which have been compiled over the first three months-plus of the season. Most of them are silly ways for teammates to write each other up, and many never see the light of day to the public.

    “What happens in kangaroo court, stays in kangaroo court,” Mark Teixeira said.
    Not exactly. Phil Hughes opened the window a little bit, revealing that Tony Pena had been hit with a fine for his duck-and-cover act on May 4, when Francisco Cervelli tumbled into the dugout in pursuit of a foul ball. Typically, players and coaches will help prop the player up to avoid injury – Pena offered absolutely no help in bracing Cervelli. Finally, justice caught up to him. 
    Hughes said he didn’t escape unscathed. He was hit with a fine for writing up double offenses on Colin Curtis, who had tried to mail a players’ All-Star ballot with no address and no postage when the Yankees were in Los Angeles last month. Curtis wasn’t exonerated, so there were no winners in that one. 
    “We didn’t have all that many,” he said. “They were just really drawn out. It took forever.”

    Big wins in a big ballpark

    IMG_0277[1].jpgThe Yankees all seem to agree on two major points — one, Target Field is a beautiful facility, and two, the Twins have successfully built themselves a pitchers park.

    It takes a lot to crank a ball out of here, as the Twins have learned the hard way, and the Yankees have had a taste as well. Mark Teixeira thought that Juan Miranda’s deep drive in the eighth inning last night would have been “way out of most stadiums,” but instead it died in center field. 
    Nick Swisher played it the smart way with his game-winner, knowing he’d better be pulling.
    “It is a big ballpark, don’t get me wrong,” Swisher said. “But I talked to some of the guys on the Twins earlier and they were saying that the ball does travel down the lines. It’s 403 in right-center and there’s a 30-foot wall. You’ve got to be a grown man to hit it out of there. I’ve got to go down the lines, you know?”
    So while the Yankees do enjoy what they’ve seen here, they won’t be looking forward to trips to Minneapolis to benefit their power numbers.
    “There weren’t many hits out there,” Teixeira said. “They play good defense. If you hit the ball in the air, it isn’t going anywhere. I think this park has shown to be a pitchers park thus far.”

    Teixeira, Aceves progressing

    Mark Teixeira’s right elbow remains heavily wrapped as he waits for the swelling to go down, but the Yankees first baseman is hopeful that he will be able to return to Grapefruit League action as early as Thursday.

    Teixeira was drilled by a fastball from the Orioles’ Jeremy Guthrie on Monday in Sarasota, Fla., and said that beneath the bandages, indentations of seams are still very visible. Teixeira said that he is continuing treatment and could try to swing off a tee later Wednesday.

    “It’s better. There’s still some swelling in there, but it’s not too bad,” Teixeira said. “I’m getting my range of motion back, my strength back. I’m very happy.”

    Teixeira said that he wants to be in the lineup on Thursday against the Blue Jays in Dunedin, Fla..; if not, Yankees manager Joe Girardi expects Teixeira to play Friday against the Orioles at the latest.

    Yankees right-hander Alfredo Aceves plans to throw off a mound Wednesday, eyeing a Friday return to action after back stiffness forced him to miss an appearance this week.

    Girardi has said that if Aceves can throw one more inning in Grapefruit League play, he will be able to come north with the team for Opening Day. If not, he would be considered a candidate to begin the season on the 15-day disabled list.

    Field trip over, these Yankees win

    Here are the winners and runners-up for this morning’s Yankees arcade events:

    Indy car: A.J. Burnett wins; Dana Cavalea second place
    Skeeball: Andrew Brackman wins; Eduardo Nunez second place
    Pop-a-shot: Royce Ring wins; Mark Melancon second place

    tex skeeball.jpgPhoto from the Yankees: Mark Teixeira tries his hand at Skee Ball, as Mariano Rivera, Jorge Posada and Jesus Montero watch.

    Here’s some of what Teixeira had to say to the New York Daily News’ Mark Feinsand, who is acting as the pool reporter for the day:

    “It was fun. It was good to have a change of scenery from the pool tournament. It was new and fresh and we enjoyed it.”

    “The highlights were A.J. Burnett just smoking the field in the video game racing, and Royce Ring being probably the best pop-a-shot basketball player I’ve ever seen. Those two were hands-down the best at those two events. Whenever the basket is moving, Royce takes the cake.”

    “It was a great day. The fact that we get three or four hours not to have to worry about baseball and not have to compete on the baseball field, it was fun. Playing video games, we felt like kids again. It promotes a light-hearted atmosphere.”

    “The great thing about this kind of atmosphere is that there’s no veterans or rookies, starters or role players, Triple-A or Single-A; everyone is on the same playing field. We’re all having fun, really kind of letting our hair down and getting to know each other without competing on the field.”

    “The young guys probably get into it more than anybody. A big-league clubhouse – especially the Yankees’ clubhouse – can be very intimidating. To go off-site to an arcade and enjoy each other, get to know people not as superstars or as New York Yankees, but just as men, it can easily build friendships.”

    swisher.JPG
    EDIT 6:02 p.m.: Feinsand checks in with some quotes from Curtis Granderson…

    “I thought it was a great idea to get a bunch of guys coming from different sides, whether it’s their first big-league camp, guys that were acquired through trade or free agency and guys that had been there. For everybody to get a chance to meet up and see everyone outside of the intense training baseball mode, we can see that everybody does laugh and have fun. We’re all big kids.”
     
    “The highlight had to be watching Igawa race on the Indy Car. He kept racing up against the wall and damaging his tires. He wouldn’t move off of it. He had his left hand on the wheel and he was just cruising like nothing was wrong. He was doing that for a good three minutes. Everyone was shouting, ‘Turn left! Turn left!’”
     
    “People forget how long the season is. We have the training part that we’re doing now, then we have 30 or so spring training games and we haven’t even started the season. Then it’s 162 games in the regular season and hopefully the playoffs, then the next thing you know, you’re right back at it in 2011. The actual time away from competition is minimal, so to get a chance to go out and have fun in that large a group, it was a great thing. I’m really glad they did it and I would recommend other teams doing it.”

    “Andy Pettitte and I sat there and talked before our Indy Car race, and it had nothing to do with baseball. We split up, were playing different games, then battled again on the Pop-a-Shot. I don’t normally see the pitchers during the day, so to get a chance to do that was well worth it.”
     
    “I struggled in my first round of Pop-a-Shot when it counted on the bracket. When we came back for a side competition, that’s when I dominated.”
     
    “Skee ball was difficult. I used to be good at Skee ball, but I was really disappointed at myself for my performance. I’ll need to go back and figure out this Skee ball machine compared to the ones I used to play.”

    mo.JPGAll photos courtesy of the Yankees.

    Was that payback?

    The Yankees were pretty tight-lipped about the pitch that hit Mark Teixeira on the left hand last night, and sometimes a no comment is a pretty good indication that there’s something brewing.

    Asked if they thought David Price’s pitch had some purpose behind it, Teixeira said, “I have no idea,” and Joe Girardi said, “I don’t know.”

    Naturally, both Price and Rays manager Joe Maddon said there was nothing doing, but clearly Girardi was thinking back to Sept. 8 – when Carlos Pena’s season ended courtesy of two broken fingers and a CC Sabathia fastball – when he glared into the Tampa Bay dugout, shaking his head.

    The best thing the Yankees can do now, of course, is count their blessings and then do absolutely nothing in retaliation to the Rays. They should have learned their lesson from the Jorge Posada – Jesse Carlson scrap with the Blue Jays. Tuck this one away for the future if you want, but there’s no reason to pick fights when the bigger prize is right around the corner. 

    He’s on the Mark

    Teixeira091909.jpgMark Teixeira finished a double shy of the cycle on Saturday at Safeco Field, and had a shot at it in the ninth inning. Instead, he decided to belt a homer over the left-center field wall.

    “It enters your mind,” Teixeira said. “I’ve done it before so I know how cool it is and rare it is. I knew what I needed that last at-bat.”

    But the Yankees have had cycles before, including Melky Cabrera this season. Apparently it’s even more rare to do what Teixeira did. According to Baseball Reference, Teixeira became the first Yankee since Elston Howard (8/19/62 at Kansas City) to hit at least two homers and triple in the same game.

    Teixeira also homered from both sides of the plate in the same game for third time this season, tying Nick Swisher – who accomplished the feat this season and in 2007 with Oakland – and Tony Clark (1998 with Detroit) for the AL single-season record, according to the Elias Sports Bureau

    That first-inning race to third base, by the way? Teixeira now has collected three triples over a 15 at-bat span from Wednesday through Saturday, after having no triples in his previous 1,289 regular season at-bats and just three triples over his previous three seasons (2006-08).

    “You kind of chuckle a little bit inside your head,” Teixeira said. “Baseball’s funny that way. You can see all kinds of stats that just blow your mind.”

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