Teixeira got two hits after tearfully announcing this will be his final big league season, and the NY beat the Yankees beat the Cleveland Indians 13-7 Friday night with the help of Starlin Castro’s third-inning grand slam off Josh Tomlin.
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The Yankees have called a 3 p.m. press conference, but have not revealed why.
Teixeira’s announcement about his impending retirement, coupled with speculation that veteran third baseman turned designated hitter/bench player Alex Rodriguez may be released sooner rather than later, formally marks the “End of An Era” in NY for their beloved Yankees, a team that has enjoyed much post season since ’95. His two hits Friday raised his average to.202, the first time since mid-May he has been over.200.
Against that backdrop Starlin Castro and Gary Sanchez, important pieces of the Yankees’ rebuilding project, provided enough muscle to carry them to a 13-7 victory Friday night that was witnessed by 39,252 and took three hours and 39 agonizing minutes to complete.
Loney’s RBI single made it 2-0, but the Yankees went ahead in the bottom half when Headley doubled in two runs and scored on Didi Gregorius’ double.
Zimmerman is 9-5 with a 4.44 ERA in 16 starts.
“That arm”, Teixeira said, sounding every bit like a fan. “Running around the bases (is) always good. You think about all that he’s accomplished, the home runs, the RBIs, and you talk about his legacy, obviously I think Mark is a Hall of a Famer”. “So I’m happy to do it”.
I’m probably not going to pick the Yankees for much of anything the rest of the year, especially with Sabathia on the mound.
Cleveland Indians outfielders Tyler Naquin, right, and Abraham Almonte can’t catch a fly ball hit by New York Yankees’ Jacoby Ellsbury during the seventh inning of the baseball game at Yankee Stadium, Friday, Aug. 5, 2016 in New York.
This is what happens when a team underperforms and the main event, in this case the chance to win the AL East, is over.
When he arrived at spring training in February, Teixeira said, “I’d love to play five more years”.
Ouch: The Indians have performed poorly, on balance, against average-to-good teams – the notable exception being Detroit.
Teixeira’s potential successor at first base is 23-year-old Greg Bird, who is missing this season after shoulder surgery in February. I didn’t see him get emotional. I’ve never got inside someone’s head just standing there. He was a top three overall selection in the 2012 draft and nearly immediately made it to the big leagues. While his Major League Baseball batting line has taken a dive lately, Refsnyder has a solid track record with the bat in Triple-A, and has performed admirably learning first base on the fly in 2016.
Lester (12-4) had eight strikeouts, allowed two runs and nine hits while winning for the third time in his last four starts. Chris Gimenez, the No. 9 batter, drilled a three-run shot over the left-field fence.
The Indians (61-46) have lost four of six, a stretch in which they have been outscored 50-32.
Fully recovered, he made the All-Star team again in 2015 but fouled a pitch off his right leg August 17, played two more games in pain and then found out he had fractured his shin. “At that particular point in the game, we were getting back in the game”. Pineda also allowed a leadoff double in the seventh that eventually came around to score.
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With Teixeira’s struggles at the plate, the Yankees have had a slow season. In the sixth, Chase Headley hit a RBI single followed by a bases loaded walk to Sanchez.
