MARK TEIXEIRA RETIRES

As Mark Teixeira’s 8th season as a NY Yankee is about to end so, too, will his career.  That’s because today Mark announced that he will retire as a Yankee at the end of this season, which coincides with his contract term.  This year was certainly his worst offensively as he fought through various injuries - something that has become the norm over the past few years for him.

Earlier in the year, Mark had expressed his desire to play for at least 2 more years.  He also stated that he would love to end his career in Yankees’ pinstripes.  Well, half of his desire will now happen.   Mark mentioned his frustrations with the constant injuries as a major factor towards his retiring decision.  I also believe that, once he saw the Yankees’ commitment to bringing up the “kids” including the recent trades, he knew his chance of a contract renewal with the Yankees was not on their agenda.

I am one of those fans who constantly advocates the importance of defense and Mark certainly gave us that over his 8 seasons.  In fact, he was one of the best defensive first basemen in baseball for quite some time.  The scoops, the dives, and the 3-4-3 (or 3-6-3) double plays he began were one of the most dependable things I’ve watched with this team over Mark’s years as a Yankee.  I remember all the struggles the Yankees’ organization (mostly Brian Cashman) had over the years trying to attain or call up players to fill Mark’s cleats when he was injured or offered a day off.  Those awful moments sure made everyone realize how great Mark was defensively!

Mark will go down in history as one of the best switch-hitters in the game.  His 8 straight years with 30-plus homeruns and 100-plus RBIs per season is something he mentioned as his proudest personal achievement.  He also mentioned how, when he became a Yankee in 2009, he thought winning a World Series would be fairly easy to achieve with a team that wins so many championships.  He later learned how hard, even for the Yankees, it was to accomplish.  My favorite part of his press conference, from this afternoon, was the passion he demonstrated when talking about the fans.

In today’s blog, I publicly thank Mark for the years he produced many homers, RBIs, and defense for us.  I would particularly like to add my gratitude for his passion.  I know we’ll be seeing him at the stadium even after this season and I know I will personally applaud him every time.