Joe Girardi on Mark Teixeira"s retirement
Pete Caldera, North Jersey Media Group 11:58 p.m. EDT August 3, 2016
Mark Teixeira hits a three-run home run during the second inning.(Photo: Brad Penner, USA TODAY Sports)
NEW YORK A sellout crowd at Yankee Stadium and a fired-up Mark Teixeira pumped some new vigor into the old Subway Series.
After putting the Yankees ahead with a three-run homer, Teixeira was drilled by Mets starter Steven Matz in his next at-bat a wayward two-seam fastball that sparked both benches to clear briefly.
As hot as Teixeira was, reliever Luis Severino cooled down the Mets bats in a 9-5 Yankees win before 48,339, the Stadiums largest crowd this season.
Thursday night, the Yankees will attempt to win the four-game, home-and-home Subway Series, which concludes with Bartolo Colon against Nathan Eovaldi.
Warnings were issued after Teixeira shouted and took a couple of aggressive steps toward the left-handed Matz after taking a first-pitch fastball off his left knee in the fifth.
Mets catcher Rene Rivera restrained the irate Teixeira as players from both benches left their dugouts. Players from both bullpens stood in the outfield, but Teixeira made his way to first base without further incident though Mets manager Terry Collins had a lengthy argument with crew chief Brian Gorman, umpiring third base.
Matz ended the inning with a double-play grounder. Teixeira made an aggressive slide through the bag, but second baseman Neil Walker avoided contact and nothing came of it.
Teixeira later walked and scored in the Yanks three-run seventh against reliever Hansel Robles, who was seen shouting at Teixeira as he stood on second base possibly peeved that Teixeira might have been sending location signals to batter Starlin Castro.
Castro followed with an infield single that knocked out Robles, who shouted at Gorman as he exited.
Matz (8-8) is now 1-7 over his past 12 starts, while Chad Green who took over for the traded Ivan Nova might have a short stay in the Yankees rotation.
In 3 2/3innings, Green gave up three runs on eight hits and four walks. And the damage wouldve been far greater were it not for three double plays turned by the Yanks in each of the first three innings.
Severino gave up one unearned run over 4 1/3innings, and jumped off the mound with glee after striking out Michael Conforto to end the seventh with the tying runs in scoring position, maintaining a 6-4 lead.
Rob Refsnyder had two hits, scored twice and had a sac fly for the Yanks (54-53), and Gary Sanchez started at DH and got his first MLB hit.
Before the game, Yankees manager Joe Girardi said he anticipated that Sanchez could be joined by other young hitters from Class AAA Scranton/Wilkes-Barre most likely Aaron Judge and Tyler Austin before the Sept. 1 roster expansions.
But Girardi didnt anticipate taking at-bats away from Teixeira.
Teix is going to get his days off because I think his knee requires [it], Girardi said of a cartilage-damaged right knee expected to required off-season surgery. I think hes swung the bat better lately [and] Mark adds a lot to our defense.
And thats really important, because I dont think were necessarily a team that can give extra outs, Girardi said. As of right now, my plan is to continue to play him kind of the way Ive been doing it.
Batting third Wednesday night, Teixeira walked and scored in the Yankees three-run first inning, after the Mets had jumped to a quick 2-0 lead.
Chase Headleys two-run double tied it and Didi Gregoriuss two-out RBI double gave the Yanks a brief 3-2 lead.
Ex-Yankee Kelly Johnson doubled and Rene Riveras grounder took an odd hop past a pirouetting Teixeira for a game-tying RBI single in the second.
There were two out in the second when the Yankees stirred once more against Matz.
Jacoby Ellsbury and Refsnyder each singled and Teixeira launched his 10th homer of the year, an opposite-field shot to right that gave the Yanks a 6-3 lead. Teixeira had never previously faced Matz in a game.
And that was Teixeiras seventh homer since coming back from the disabled list June 25, a span of 29 games.
After that homer, Matz retired 12 of the final 13 batters he faced. The only exception was plunking Teixeira, just the fifth batter Matz has hit in 119 innings this year.
Pete Caldera writes for North Jersey Media Group, part of the USA TODAY Network.
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