The New York Yankees are five wins away from their 27th world championship in franchise history. While Derek Jeter, CC Sabathia, and a fully revitalized Alex Rodriguez lead the charge toward postseason glory, Mark Teixeira has contributed little to New York’s success.
With the exception of a walk-off home run in the 11th inning of Game 2 of the ALDS against the Twins, Teixeira has just three hits and zero RBIs in 30 postseason at-bats. In the championship series against the Angels, the Pinstripes’ $180 million first baseman is just 2-for-18 and has struck out seven times.
Yet perhaps the most amazing thing about Teixeira’s recent slump is that nobody seems to be paying any attention to it. When A-Rod went 1-for-14 in the 2006 playoffs, fans in the Bronx were appalled. When he followed that performance with a 4-for-15 effort in 2007, the New York media took him to task — and then some. But now that Big Tex can’t hit his way out of a paper bag, all we have is a Newsday article claiming that Teixeira’s defense makes his punchless bat an afterthought.
The real reason, of course, for the switch-hitting 29-year-old’s acquittal is that the Yankees are winning this postseason. When Rodriguez was nearly charged with a felony for being un-clutch, the Yanks were busy getting eliminated by the Tigers and Indians in the first round. A-Rod was in the spotlight — he was expected to navigate those teams through the playoffs, and he wasn’t up to the challenge.
Those who claim that the addition of Teixeira to the Yankees’ potent lineup has taken the pressure off Rodriguez fail to realize that the No. 3 hitter’s woes have actually put more emphasis on the cleanup hitter’s performance. A-Rod may have gotten the monkey off his back with an outstanding October, but that certainly has nothing to do with Teixeira removing the albatross from his neck.
In fact, it’s Rodriguez’s ability to adjust to being in the spotlight that has enabled Teixeira to get away with his slump.
