BALTIMORE – Hold off on those obituaries for Mark Teixeira’s career. The Yankees slugger showed a pulse last night.
Teixeira went 3-for-4 with two walks and a home run against the Orioles, quieting his critics for one night.
The $20 million man broke out of his slump with a big night against the terrible Orioles. Now, can he keep it going?
While you might expect Teixeira to be thrilled after a big night, he played it down still acting like his season has been fine.
“Anytime you help your team win, it feels good,” Teixeira said. “Hopefully I’ll be more consistent now.”
Teixeira spent the day off here on Monday with his extended family and friends in his hometown, getting away from baseball.
Before last night’s game, Yankees legend Reggie Jackson gave him a pep talk.
With his three hits, Teixeira raised his average to .220, and absolutely crushed Matt Albers’ seventh-inning fastball over the right-field fence. It traveled 397 feet. It was his first homer since May 30, and his ninth of the season.
Teixeira’s slump has been a hot topic among fans and the media. Yankees manager Joe Girardi spent a considerable chunk of his pregame session with reporters defending Teixeira and saying he had no plans to drop him in the order.
After the game, Girardi said it was good to see Teixeira rebound from his 0-for-12 hitless stretch over the weekend in Toronto.
“It’s kind of like a bounce-back game after you lose a tough game or you’re in a little streak you want to bounce back as soon as you can,” Girardi said. “I think it is important. Tex is a professional. He’s not going to let him affect him either way but as a player you still want to have those bounce-back games.”