Yankees Mark Teixeira Ending on a High Note After Tough Season

New York Yankees first baseman Mark Teixeira should seriously consider calling it quits after a memorable walk-off grand slam against the Red Sox Wednesday.

That is definitely going to be hard to top. The New York Yankees came into the ninth inning down 3-0 Wednesday with one of the most dominant closers in recent memory, Craig Kimbrel, on the mound. Brett Gardner led things off with a single, and then three straight walks by Kimbrel made things interesting, cutting the Boston lead to two.

Starlin Castro and Didi Gregorius increased the drama by making two quick outs, setting the stage for Mark Teixeira to add one more heroic moment to his resume.

The 36-year-old first baseman slammed his 12th career grand slam to deep right-center field, keeping the Yankees playoff hopes alive for at least one more day. The Red Sox still managed to clinch the AL East Wednesday thanks to a loss by the Blue Jays, but at least New York managed to make that news a little less fun for them.

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The walk-off homer was number 409 for Teixeira’s career. During his on-field interview following the game, he said, “I hope this was my last home run. I really do. That was incredible. These fans. I love you guys.”

In early August, Texieira announced that his 14 year major league career would come to an end following the season. He’s spent the last eight years in pinstripes, hitting .248/.344/.479 (119 OPS+) with 206 home runs and 621 RBI as a Yankee. He’s been named to two All-Star teams, collected three Gold Glove awards, and received MVP votes in four seasons since joining New York.

In the spring, Teixeira told reporters he would love to play five more seasons after his current contract expires, but his body told him during the 2016 campaign that would not be possible. It has been a battle to stay on the field all season for Tex, and his performance has suffered because of it.

Teixeira has fought through recurring neck stiffness and a cartilage tear in his knee, receiving frequent injections of lubricant and anti-inflammatory to avoid surgery. Tex showed last season that when he is healthy, he remains one of the games premier power hitters, smacking 31 homers in 111 games.

Things haven’t gone as smoothly this year, with a .206/.295/.365 (75 OPS+) batting line, but it’s nice to see Teixeira remind Yankees fans at least one more time what an incredible talent he is. He told reporters following the game:

"That was fun, that’s as good as it gets right there. I guess if you hit one to win the World Series it might be just as much fun, but for the kind of season we’ve had, we’ve been fighting all year … it shows a lot about our team."

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It almost seems like Teixeira should pull a George Costanza and go out on a high note and ride off into the sunset after that shot. If he does, it has been a remarkable career for Tex.