Tearful Tex: Time’s up
injuries push yankees slugger into retirement at season’s end
The mind and spirit are willing, but the body, well, it’s a mess after 14 seasons.
So Mark Teixeira, one of only five switch hitters in baseball history to slug 400 home runs, is retiring after this season.
“It’s time for me to do something else. After this season, I’m going to retire,” an emotional Teixeira said Friday during a Yankee Stadium press conference attended by teammates and team staff.
Teixeira, in the final season of an eight-year, $180million deal, repeatedly composed himself while talking about the game he fell in love with by first playing Whiffle ball with his dad.
“I got to live out my dream, and had more success than I could ever imagine,” Teixeira, 36, said, explaining his announcement during the worst statistical season of his career.
“I never had an end-date in mind,” said Teixeira, who’s hitting .202 after going 2-for-4 in the Yankees’ 13-7 win over the Indians. “But this year, my neck started bothering me. Then I hurt my knee. As the season went on, I just realized that my body couldn’t do it anymore. If I’m going to grind through seasons not being healthy, I’d rather be home with my family.”
Teixeira, a .269 career hitter with 1,281 RBIs, waved off legacy questions, but stressed one accomplishment that stands out: his impressive stretch of 30home run and 100-RBI seasons from 2004-11.
“Eight seasons in a row of 30 and 100,” said Teixeira, who trails only Mickey Mantle, Eddie Murray, Chipper Jones and Carlos Beltran for switch-hit home runs, “To do it for eight straight seasons was special.”
Teixeira, who joined the Yankees for the 2009 World Championship season, gave no indication of his plans — beyond playing and men- toring this season. Manager Joe Girardi said Teixeira’s future could include the Baseball Hall of Fame.
“Obviously he was a Hall of Fame type hitter when he was healthy, but what was so impressive to me was this was a Hall of Fame defensive guy, too,” said Girardi, who learned of Teixeira’s decision Thursday. “That was impressive to me because as a manager you always want a player who is well-rounded.
“I don’t necessarily think there is any coincidence that when Mark’s injuries started to affect how much he played … runs became a lot harder to score around here.”
Teixeira’s breakdown be- gan in 2012 when wrist and calf injuries limited him to 123 games — and he has not played more than that in any season since. Wrist surgery and last season’s fractured leg contributed to him missing 307 games since 2013.
Teixeira played for the Rangers, Braves and Angels before the Yankees. He made his decision over the All-Star break when he discussed the move with his family.
“It was special tonight,” Teixeira said after the game. “I had a lot of the Indians come over and say congratulations. ... It’s nice to get those types of congratulations.”