How Will Jeter's Final Game In The Bronx Unfold? Girardi Doesn't Even Know
NEW YORK (CBSNewYork/AP) — Joe Girardi is thinking about how to handle Derek Jeter's home finale Thursday.
Last year, the manager sent Jeter and Andy Pettitte to the mound with two outs in the ninth inning of New York's last game at Yankee Stadium to remove Mariano Rivera. The retiring closer wept during a four-minute ovation, buried his head on the right shoulder of Pettitte and then was embraced by his two teammates.
New York had been eliminated from postseason contention the previous night. Now, the Yankees continue a series with Baltimore on Tuesday trailing by four games for the AL's second wild card with six games left. Jeter had three RBI in Monday night's 5-0 victory.
"It's different in a sense with Derek," Girardi said, "because you don't know where you're going to be at right now and the meaning of the game at that point, and knowing Derek, not knowing if he's going to want to be out there for every minute and every play."
A big difference is mid-inning pitching changes are routine.
"I have spent a little time thinking about it," Girardi said. "There's been other people that have thrown out some ideas that I've thought about. So (I'll) just kind of wait to see how it goes, and I'll make a decision when it's time, I guess."
New York opened the Yankee Stadium gates at 4 p.m. Monday, an hour earlier than usual, to enable fans to watch Jeter take batting practice. About 200 turned out, most behind the home dugout. Several held up signs praising Jeter.
The Yankees also will open the gates early before night games Tuesday and Thursday.
TEIXEIRA GETS ANOTHER NEEDLE
On Sunday, Mark Teixeira had a third cortisone shot in his surgically repaired right wrist, and left-hander CC Sabathia played catch at the ballpark Monday for the first time since season-ending knee surgery July 23.
Right-hander Masahiro Tanaka said he felt normal soreness Monday, a day after his first start since July 8. And Girardi said right-hander Ivan Nova is on track for a May return after elbow ligament-replacement surgery July 29.
New York is likely to miss consecutive postseasons for the first time since 1992 and '93. Projecting the final week of the season, the Yankees' original rotation will combine to start only 80 of 162 games: Sabathia (eight), Hiroki Kuroda (32), Nova (four), Tanaka (21) and Michael Pineda (15).
Teixeira has played 119 games this season after surgery July 2 last year to repair the tendon sheath, an injury that limited him to 15 games in 2013. He is hitting .216 with 21 homers and 58 RBIs, contributing to a sputtering offense that began Monday tied for 23rd in runs.
While the earlier cortisone shots this year were inside the tendon sheath, Sunday's was on the outside. Teixeira hopes to return to the lineup Tuesday.
"All the structure still looks really good. It's just inflammation," he said.
Still, the 34-year-old may never again play virtually every game in a season.
And with 39-year-old Alex Rodriguez coming off 2013 hip surgery that held him to 15 games and a season-long suspension this year stemming from Major League Baseball's Biogenesis drug probe, the Yankees may have two corner infielders needing a substantial backup player.
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