Yankees are team to beat according to Jason Giambi

Prior to Sunday’s 9-4 loss to the Astros, Jason Giambi, who took part in the 73rd Old-Timers’ Day, made it known he believes the Yankees are always the team to beat.

You can’t win them all, especially when Yankees starter J.A. Happ allows eight runs on 11 hits in five miserable innings — snapping the team’s season-best eight-game winning streak.

DJ LeMahieu’s fifth-inning home run off of Astros ace Justin Verlander marked the Yanks 26th consecutive game with at least one longball — a franchise record.

The previous club mark was set by the 1941 World Series champs, when ‘Joltin’ Joe DiMaggio slugged 30 in total.

During the Yankees current barrage of four-baggers, 12 players have combined to hit 45 home runs — paced by Gary Sanchez’s 12, and six from both LeMahieu and Gleyber Torres.

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As for the Major League Baseball all-time consecutive games streak — that belongs to the 2002 Texas Rangers, when they slugged a homer in 27 straight games.

LeMahieu’s RBIs, also marked the Yanks 159th consecutive game that they had scored a run, the seventh longest streak in baseball, dating back to 1900.

Before the Yankees came out flat against the ‘Stros, the 73rd Annual Old-Timers’ Game was held.

Perhaps most exciting, was watching soon-to-be Baseball Hall of Fame inductee Mariano Rivera lace a shot towards the right-center field gap that former relief pitcher Jeff Nelson chased after, at what can only be described as “his top speed.”

Rivera, 49, looked like a spring chicken rounding the bases, on his way to an inside-the-park home run (even if Luis Sojo did playfully step in his way). Later on, while playing centerfield, Mo ranged to his right to snag a flyball.

During Rivera’s 19-year big league career, he would regularly roam the outfield during batting practice.

Following Old-Timers’ Day, Jason Giambi, who spent seven seasons in New York, spoke to Greg Joyce of the New York Post about what the Yankees always do right as an organization.

“The Yankees always put an incredible product on the field. They always do. They always do such a great job of getting the young kids to mix in with the older players to kind of mentor those younger players. This team’s always the team to beat. As long as they can stay healthy and stay on the field, they’re going to put a lot of runs on the board.”