5 Of The Best Moments From Mark Teixeira's Career With The Yankees
While injuries often hampered his ability to stay on the field and produce while in pinstripes, Mark Teixeira still had plenty of fantastic moments in the field and at the plate that made his tenure with the Yankees a memorable one.
With Teixeira announcing that he'll be calling it quits at the end of the season, here's a look back at some of the best moments from Tex's eight-year career with the Yankees
1. Walk Off Home Run In Game 2 Of 2009 ALDS
Teixeira picked a perfect time to hit the Yankees' first walk-off home run in a playoff series since Aaron Boone's Game 7 dinger in the 2003 ALCS.
After rallying in the bottom of the 9th inning against the Twins, Teixeira stepped up to the plate against Twins reliever José Mijares and took a 2-1 pitch over the left field fence to give the Yankees a 4-3 victory and a 2-0 series lead over the Twins.
2. Three Home Runs In One Game Against The Red Sox
When it's you and Lou Gehrig as the only two men in Yankees history to accomplish something, you know it's a pretty big deal. On May 8 in 2010 Teixeira joined the immortal Gehrig as the only other Yankee to hit three home runs in one game against the arch-rival Boston Red Sox.
The Yanks trounced the Sox 14-3 and Teixeira drove in five runs in the victory.
3. Hits Career Home Run No. 400
On July 3, Teixeira joined the exclusive 400 home run club and the more exclusive club of being one of only five switch-hitting players in MLB history to reach that number.
The other members:
1. Mickey Mantle - 536 HR
2. Eddie Murray - 504 HR
3. Chipper Jones - 468 HR
4. Carlos Beltran - 415 HR.
5. Mark Teixeira - 404 HR
** (HR totals as of 8/5)
Pretty good company there.
4. Game-Tying Home Run In Game 2 Of 2009 World Series
After dropping Game 1 of the 2009 World Series to the Phillies mainly due to a stellar, complete game effort from pitcher Cliff Lee, the Yankees desperately needed a win in Game 2. Trailing 1-0 in the fourth inning, Teixeira delivered a solo home run to tie the game and put the Yankees on the path towards a big win.
While he struggled throughout much of the World Series and batted just .136, clutch hits like this one were scattered throughout, including a big single in Game 6 that drove in an insurance run for the Yanks and helped them bring home their first World Series title since 2000.
5. Comeback 2015 Season
While most fans and analysts had left Teixeira for dead after multiple underwhelming and injury-plagued campaigns, he delivered one of his best seasons in pinstripes and was a major reason why the Yankees made the playoffs in 2015.
Teixeira belted 31 home runs and drove in 79 RBIs in just 111 games of action and even received some consideration for AL MVP.
Bryan Altman is, for some reason, an unabashed fan of the Rangers, Jets and Mets. If he absolutely had to pick a basketball team it would be the Knicks, but he'd gladly trade them for just one championship for any of his other three teams.
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