MLB: Mark Teixeira Becomes Fifth Switch Hitter To Reach 400 Home Runs

Mark Teixeira of the New York Yankees joined the 400 home run club on Sunday. He now shares a piece of history with four other switch hitters.

Sunday afternoon’s game against the San Diego Padres certainly did not have an auspicious start for the New York Yankees’ Mark Teixeira. The power hitting first baseman struck out in his first three at-bats, all against starter Andrew Cashner.

In the eighth inning, though, Teixeira came to the plate to lead things off with the Yankees clinging to a 2-1 lead, and sent a towering fly ball down the right field line that landed in the seats for his 400th career home run. The ball’s 48 degree launch angle was the highest recorded by StatCast on a round tripper this season, according to Major League Baseball.

The Maryland native had made history, becoming just the fifth switch hitter to reach the 400 homer plateau, and he wasn’t done, either.  In the ninth inning, Teixeira took Kevin Quackenbush deep with a runner aboard to extend New York’s lead to 6-1 and tack No. 401 onto his career total. This second longball was a no-doubter, and he punctuated it with a bat flip.

“The 400, I didn’t know if it was going out,” Teixeira said after the game. “I hit it so high, you never really know how the ball’s going to carry. [The second] one I could enjoy a little bit.”

Switch hitting is the ultimate sign of versatility at the plate, yet so few have enjoyed the kind of success that Teixeira has. Reaching 400 home runs is rarified air, and puts him in the company of some of the greatest hitters in the history of the game. Let’s take a look at how Teixeira stacks up with the other switch hitting sluggers on the list.

Next: Back with a bang.