Austin takes his big 1st step
will don the pinstripes again today when the longtime Yankee catcher makes his Old Timers’ Day debut during the 71st annual playing of the game at Yankee Stadium. Posada will be among approximately 40 former Yanks who are scheduled to play in the game prior to the current Bombers taking on the Rangers at 2 p.m. The Yankees have advised fans to be in their seats by 11:30 a.m. for the first pitch of the Old Timers’ game, which will also include such notable former Yankees as and among others. who managed the Yankees to five World Series titles, is expected to be on hand, and current Yankee manager is expected to play. who played for the Yankees from 1996-98 and won two World Series rings, will be honored for his upcoming enshrinement into the Baseball Hall of Fame. 11:30 a.m. Sunday Yankee Stadium YES Network First pitch of the Yankees’ game against the Texas Rangers is scheduled for 2:05 p.m. Gates open at 10 a.m. FIRST BASE at Yankee Stadium currently belongs to Tyler Austin.
After Chris Carter was designated for assignment around 1 a.m. Saturday morning, Austin was called up from Triple-A and Joe Girardi declared Austin will be the team’s everyday first baseman for the time being.
“We just felt it was time,” Girardi said of the transaction. “I really believe that Chris gave us everything he had and worked hard and tried to make adjustments. He just never seemed to get untracked. It’s unfortunate. It’s a difficult time in his life, it’s difficult on us to have to make that move. Very well liked in the clubhouse, but we felt that Tyler had started to swing the bat pretty well and it was maybe time to give him an opportunity.”
Austin batted seventh Saturday and went 0-for-3 with two strikeouts and grounded into a double play in the seventh. In the fifth inning he was shaking his left wrist after his glove hit into the shoulder of Pete Kozma, who was running back to first after a line out. Austin remained in the game and said he was fine.
“You kind of keep your fingers crossed to see how he feels (Sunday) because I’m sure there was a lot of adrenaline (Saturday),” Girardi said.
GM Brian Cashman said on Wednesday that as the organization evaluated Carter vs. Austin and determined that Carter was still the better option. Girardi said at that time it was an organizational decision. Carter had two hits Thursday but on Friday he went 0-for-4 with three strikeouts, including striking out swinging in the 10th with runners on first and third and one out before Ronald Torreyes’ walk-off single.
If Carter had come through in that spot, would he still be with the team?
“We had talked about it for a couple of days,” Girardi said. “I’m not sure what happens, if we make that move, but it had been in discussion.”
Carter, who hit 41 homers last year and signed a one-year, $3.5 million deal, hit .204 with eight homers and 23 RBI in 167 at-bats. Austin was 6-for-15 with three homers and 11 RBI in his last four games with Scranton/ Wilkes-Barre.
In mid-February at the Yankees’ minor-league complex in Tampa, Austin fouled a ball off his left foot and didn’t begin rehab games until May 20. He moved from Trenton to Scranton on May 26, but on June 5 he was optioned once his rehab assignment was complete.
Austin hit .241 with five homers and 12 RBI last season in the big leagues. He famously combined with Aaron Judge to be the first two players in MLB history to hit back-to-back homers in each player’s first career at-bat.
“I’ll tell you what, man, it’s exciting,” Austin said of being back in the majors.
“Going through the injury right before spring training started this year was a tough pill to swallow, but it was just one more thing that I had to overcome and I’m happy to be back.”