Results tagged ‘ Mark Teixeira ’
Yankees tie MLB homers record
With Jorge Posada’s 20th home run of the season in the ninth inning tonight off Toronto’s Jason Frasor, the Yankees now have seven players with 20 or more home runs.
That sets a new franchise record and ties a Major League record also shared by the 1996 Orioles, 2000 Blue Jays and 2005 Rangers (credit: Elias Sports Bureau).
The Yankees with 20 or more: Mark Teixeira-32, Johnny Damon-24, Alex Rodriguez-24, Hideki Matsui-23, Nick Swisher-23 and Robinson Cano-22. The old Yankees franchise record of six players with 20 or more home runs was set in 1961 and tied in 2004.
Back home after the big trip
10 games in 11 days, to Seattle, Oakland and Boston. If the Yankees knew coming into that excursion that they would be flying home with seven victories in their back pocket – and especially two out of three in the Red Sox series – they would have signed right up for that.
Things are flying high right now for the Yankees, who open a three-game series with the Rangers tonight with Joba Chamberlain on the mound. They’re a Major League-best 27-9 since the All-Star break and own the best record in the Majors, heading into tonight tied with their season high of 32 games over .500.
All of that makes the things you actually can fret about, like the possible rift between A.J. Burnett and Jorge Posada, just background noise for the moment.
Mark Teixeira was on the Late Show with David Letterman last night and took a little batting practice outside the Ed Sullivan Theatre, sending a few bombs flying deep down 53rd Street. Here’s a video.
And now, a few other of the off-day discussion stories floating around out there:
Anthony McCarron has a great look in the New York Daily News at June 24, the night the Yankees saved their season with a pregame meeting at Atlanta’s Turner Field.
Andy Pettitte checks in with Pete Caldera of the Bergen Record, addressing the idea that this could really be the lefty’s final year.
Derek Jeter’s “favorite player right now,” Hideki Matsui, tells Jack Curry of The New York Times that he would love to stay put in Yankees pinstripes.
Teixeira to take to the streets
The streets of New York, that is. Word comes from CBS that Mark Teixeira will make his ‘Late Show with David Letterman’ debut on Monday after this weekend’s showdown at Fenway Park:
New York Yankees All-Star first baseman Mark Teixeira will make his first visit to the LATE SHOW with DAVID LETTERMAN, Monday, August 24 (11:35 PM-12:37 AM, ET/PT) on the CBS Television Network.
In addition to his interview with Letterman, Teixeira will also participate in an outdoor batting demonstration during the LATE SHOW broadcast.
So if you’re in the area late on Monday afternoon, it might not be a bad idea to walk by the Ed Sullivan Theatre and see what you can see. And if Teixeira is hitting in the streets, keep your head up. Knowing Letterman, they’ll probably be pitching him fruits or vegetables of some sort — whatever makes a big ol’ explosion.
8/12 – Yankees vs. Blue Jays
More Joba talk today at the Stadium, where Joe Girardi revealed that Chamberlain will be making his next start Wednesday in Oakland. From there, who knows? Chamberlain will presumably pitch on regular rest at times this season, and on extended rest at other times. He’s already exceeded his professional career high by nine innings, and will end this season — and, presumably, postseason — in dangerous territory no matter how much the Yankees rest him.
Speaking of rest, Mark Teixeira has an off-day in the finale against the Blue Jays. Expect A-Rod and Derek Jeter to get similar treatment over the next few days.
As we talked about yesterday, you can follow along with me during today’s game on Twitter @AnthonyDiComo. Bryan Hoch will be back Thursday, live from Seattle.
BLUE JAYS (54-58)
Scutaro SS
Hill 2B
Lind LF
Overbay 1B
Wells CF
Ruis DH
Encarnacion 3B
Chavez C
Inglett RF
Pitching: Ricky Romero (10-5, 3.66)
YANKEES (70-43)
Derek Jeter SS
Johnny Damon LF
Hideki Matsui DH
Alex Rodriguez 3B
Jorge Posada C
Robinson Cano 2B
Nick Swisher 1B
Eric Hinske RF
Melky Cabrera CF
Pitching: A.J. Burnett (10-5, 3.67)
–Anthony DiComo
Tex: “We have everything we need to win”
Color Mark Teixeira unsurprised that the Yankees didn’t pull off a flashy trade before today’s 4 p.m. deadline. As far as he’s concerned, the Bombers did all their best shopping over the winter.
“I don’t think anyone can complain about bringing in CC (Sabathia), A.J. (Burnett) and myself,” Teixeira said. “Guys are stepping up for us this year. Joba (Chamberlain) is stepping up, Phil (Hughes) is stepping up. We’ve got everything we need here.”
Teixeira said that he wasn’t looking as July 31 as a day when the Yankees would change much. They did pick up an old buddy in former Rangers teammate Jerry Hairston, Jr., whom Teixeira described as a “great guy” who would help them with his versatility.
“I said from the very beginning of the season, we have everything we need to win here,” Teixeira said. “I think we’re showing that. When we play our best baseball, we’re going to win. We just have to keep working hard and play well the next two months.”
Coke has two outs and a smile
It’s not the way they draw it up on the first day of Spring Training, but Phil Coke found a way to wriggle out of a first-and-third, one-out jam in the eighth inning last night — an escape that set up the Yankees’ 2-1 walk-off victory when Hideki Matsui took Jim Johnson deep an inning later.
Coke relieved Andy Pettitte after 7 1/3 innings of work and his first pitch was rocketed on the ground to first base, where Mark
Teixeira alertly fielded it and made an off-balance throw home to catcher Jose
Molina to nail Cesar Izturis sliding feet-first for the second out.
“The tag is more impressive, because he’s got to know
exactly where the play is and where the guy is sliding,” Teixeira said.
“He’s blind. It’s easy for me to catch the ball and throw it toward
him. He made an incredible tag there.”
Still not out of trouble, Coke bounced a fastball to Adam Jones
that hit Molina in the chest protector and ricocheted toward the Yankees’
dugout. Brian Roberts broke from third base and tried to score the go-ahead
run, but the catcher’s throw to the plate was in time as Coke slapped
an inning-ending tag on the speedster.
“I got my glove down and there wasn’t somebody there to tag, and
then I looked up and saw him there going wide,” said Coke, who wildly pumped his fist and screamed after the call was made. “My reaction
was to just go get him because I didn’t want him touching that plate.”
The All-Star Game begins, and ends, with Yankees
Derek Jeter scored the first run and Mariano Rivera threw the last pitch in the 80th All-Star Game on Tuesday in St. Louis, helping the American League emerge victorious and keep their unbeaten streak alive in a 4-3 decision.
“That’s what we came here to do,” Rivera said. “We came here with a mission, and our mission was accomplished. It was a great game from both sides. I think the city of St. Louis did a tremendous job of hosting this All-Star Game. I am grateful for that.”
Rivera threw a perfect ninth inning and became the all-time leader in All-Star Game saves with four, breaking a tie with Dennis Eckersley.
“I’ve said it time and time again – nothing he does surprises me,” Jeter said. “It’s just another thing to put on his
Hall of Fame plaque, I guess. He just continues to do things that are
impressive.”
In the AL dugout, Teixeira said the buzz was almost pitying the poor NL hitters who had to try and see Rivera’s trademark cutter.
“Those National League hitters, it’s so tough for them,” Teixeira said. “They don’t see Mo, and then Mo is on top of his game. It’s almost impossible to hit him. At the very least, guys that are in our division or the American League, they see him a lot and maybe they can have comfortable at-bats. If you only see him once every four or five years, good luck.”
As we walked out of Busch Stadium last night, the scoreboards read: “See You Next Year at Angel Stadium.” Somewhere, the Yankees had to shudder a little bit.
Yankees notes from St. Louis
OH, DOCTOR: The Yankees contingent could not avoid questions about the American League’s starting pitcher, Roy Halladay — not after the Blue Jays ace told reporters that he believes it’s about a 50-50 chance that he will be traded in-season.
Derek Jeter said that he isn’t the type of person who would go out of his way to recruit someone like Halladay, especially in the middle of the season, when any move would mean the Yankees would have to dump a player off their roster. But Jeter said he was relishing not having to face Halladay and having him on his side for a change.
“You see what he’s done to us,” Jeter said. “That’s pretty much all you’ve got to say.
I’ve said it time and time again. He’s the best pitcher in the league.”
Mark Teixeira lauded Halladay as a competitor and hard worker. He said that even if the Yankees don’t wind up with Halladay in pinstripes, the hope is that the right-hander would be traded out of the American League East, and preferably to the National League.
“Every winter, I look at the free agent list of pitchers and I hope
that every one of those pitchers pitches in the opposite league,” Teixeira said. “That’s
just the way it is. This division is so stacked as it is, you don’t
want any extra players coming into it.”
UP IN THE AIR: Jeter, Rivera and Teixeira
shared a charter flight here Sunday from the West Coast after the loss
to the Angels. Teixeira said that he spent a great amount of the flight
talking baseball with Rivera — Yankee dynasty edition, as Rivera
killed time by regaling his new teammate with some of the stories from
the 1996-2000 dynasty era.
“I got to talk with Mo a lot,” Teixeira said. “We just talked about New
York and how special it was when they were winning. The All-Star Game
is kind of old hat for these guys – they’ve done it so much that it’s
just, ‘Hey, it’s July, let’s go to the All-Star Game!’”
“It was a nice time,” Rivera added. “I was sharing how we did it in
those years and what we accomplished. Tex is a tremendous ballplayer.
We haven’t had a first baseman like that in a long time, since Tino
[Martinez].”
HEY, BUDDY: Jeter said that he is looking forward to catching up with Joe Torre, who will be in uniform as a coach for the National League. Torre still keeps up with Jeter and the Yankees, and they communicate frequently and check in by phone every once in a while. They haven’t met in person since the winter in New York.
“It’ll be awkward, probably, to see him,” Jeter said.
PRINCE ALBERT’S SHOW: The pace here in St. Louis will be a lot less hectic for Jeter and Rivera than it was last year in New York, when they were being shuttled all around town. That’s part of the benefit and problem of having the All-Star Game in your home city. Now, the Yankees can enjoy being guests and not hosts this week.
“You definitely enjoy it,” Jeter said. “Last year was unbelievable, the way the fans treated not
just me, but the Yankees players in general during those few days. During
the game was really something. Last year was more of a celebration of Yankee Stadium than
anything. This year it seems like it’s almost a celebration of Albert.”
Tonight on MLB.com
Yanks have A-Rod’s back Tuesday
Prop up the big tent, because the Alex Rodriguez three-ring circus is in town. The Yankees are pledging to support A-Rod’s 1:30 p.m. press conference in numbers — Derek Jeter, Jorge Posada, Mariano Rivera, CC Sabathia, A.J. Burnett and Mark Teixeira are all planning to be there, as will Joe Girardi and Brian Cashman.
Teixeira’s thoughts only on baseball
OK, I had no idea what ‘Max & Ruby’ are, but a few of the beat writers with young children exchanged knowing glances. That’s what Mark Teixeira has had on his television screen instead of continuing coverage of the A-Rod fiasco. Of more interest to Yankees fans – Tex says he’s going to get off to a quick start and have a huge year.
Teixeira arrives in camp
I was chatting with Brian Bruney downstairs when Mark Teixeira walked in, an Angels bag slung over his left shoulder. Bruney shot up and the two exchanged pleasantries, with Bruney welcoming him to the team and Teixeira saying he was glad to be here.
“This team,” Bruney was saying later, “is going to be the best one, personality-wise, since I’ve been here. These are all good guys we’ve brought in.”
Teixeira certainly seems to fit the part. He shook hands with every single reporter within the county limits and swears that he’s going to try to learn all of our names. The fans should enjoy having him around too – Teixeira said that he is going to have the best year of his career in 2009 and is determined to get off to a fast start.
He’s also ready to get a crash course in the Yankee three-ring circus when Alex Rodriguez takes to the podium tomorrow. Teixeira said he is among those who will be on hand to lend A-Rod support.
“I’ll definitely be there,” Teixeira said. “I’m going to open my arms to Alex.”
Bryan Hoch
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