Yankees' Mark Teixeira Sets MLB Record By Homering From Both Sides
NEW YORK (WFAN/AP) — For Mark Teixeira, the record was even more meaningful because of his company at the top.
Teixeira homered from both sides of the plate for a major league-record 12th time Tuesday night, helping Phil Hughes and the Yankees beat the Chicago White Sox 6-0 in a game shortened to 6 1-2 innings by rain.
Eddie Murray and Chili Davis had shared the record with Teixeira by homering from both sides in the same game 11 total times.
"I grew up in Baltimore. Eddie was such a great player. I always messed around as a switch hitter in the backyard," Teixeira said.
"I started playing baseball at a really young age in the backyard," he added. "I had a few swings right-handed, I would switch over to left-handed and try to hit it over the fence left-handed. That record is pretty special."
Teixeira's two-run shot to left batting right-handed against John Danks made it 4-0 in the third and was his 30th homer of the season — marking the seventh straight season the slugger has reached that mark. He added a solo drive batting left-handed against Jason Frasor in the seventh.
"The first time I did it ... I couldn't believe it. Two home runs, one from each side . it's not easy," said Teixeira, who has pulled it off twice this season. "You don't hit a lot of them, you don't get a lot of opportunities to drive the ball from both sides of the plate."
Teixeira has hit at least 30 homers in each of his first three seasons with the Yankees. Only three other players have done that with New York — Babe Ruth, Roger Maris and Alex Rodriguez.
Will Teixeira ever get to 20 from both sides? Make your prediction in the comments below...
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