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

By Benno Martens

Jul 3, 2016; San Diego, CA, USA; New York Yankees first baseman Mark Teixeira (25) hits a solo home run during the eighth inning against the San Diego Padres at Petco Park. Mandatory Credit: Jake Roth-USA TODAY Sports
Jul 3, 2016; San Diego, CA, USA; New York Yankees first baseman Mark Teixeira (25) hits a solo home run during the eighth inning against the San Diego Padres at Petco Park. Mandatory Credit: Jake Roth-USA TODAY Sports /
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Mark Teixeira (401 home runs and counting)

May 31, 2016; Toronto, Ontario, CAN; New York Yankees first baseman Mark Teixeira (25) reacts to a hit during the first inning in a game against the Toronto Blue Jays at Rogers Centre. The Toronto Blue Jays won 4-1. Mandatory Credit: Nick Turchiaro-USA TODAY Sports
May 31, 2016; Toronto, Ontario, CAN; New York Yankees first baseman Mark Teixeira (25) reacts to a hit during the first inning in a game against the Toronto Blue Jays at Rogers Centre. The Toronto Blue Jays won 4-1. Mandatory Credit: Nick Turchiaro-USA TODAY Sports /

The road to 400 home runs has not been easy for Teixeira, as injuries and struggles have had some in the baseball media wondering how much he has left in the tank. The start to 2016 saw Teixeira hitting just .180 with three homers and 12 RBIs, and was punctuated with a trip to the disabled list on June 4th with a right knee articular cartilage tear.

The injuries have plagued Teixeira the past four seasons, as he has played in only about 60 percent of the Yankees’ games after having been extremely durable through his first nine seasons. But since his return from this latest stint on the DL, he has been on fire, hitting home runs in four of his last 26 at-bats, ending a drought that had lasted since April.

Including the two home runs on Sunday, Teixeira has hit 291 from the left side of the plate, and 110 from the right. From 2004 to 2011, he never had fewer than 30 home runs or 105 RBIs in a season, and were it not for the health issues he’s experienced in recent years, would have reached 400 much sooner and could potentially have flirted with the 500 mark.

The accomplishment gave Teixeira an opportunity to talk about the bond he shares with other switch hitters. “It’s really cool. I feel connected to every one of the switch-hitters,” he said after the game. “Mickey Mantle played for the Yankees. Eddie Murray’s the reason I’m a switch-hitter. I watched him growing up in Baltimore. I got to play with Chipper Jones for a year in Atlanta, which was an unbelievable experience, and now I’m playing here with ‘Los [Carlos Beltran] and we do it in the same year. It’s really cool. I’ll always be able to take that with me.”

Next: Another milestone in 2016.

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