Bronx, N.Y., May 18, 2009 — Ever since Donald Arthur Mattingly called it quits once his team finally reached the playoffs after years of meritorious service, first base may have supplanted center field as the position to fill on the Yankees. Both Tino Martinez and Jason Giambi initially struggled under that mantle’s weight until each secured a spot for themselves with early-season grand slam home runs. Mark Teixeira has battled through a tough stretch with this early as well, but he has broken the mold. It’s hard to point to one particular at bat, one defensive play, one individual game where Tex overcame his struggles. But make no mistake, he has arrived on the star stage.

Veteran lefty Andy Pettitte took the mound vs. fellow southpaw Glen Perkins and the Minnesota Twins in Yankee Stadium Monday night in search of a sixth straight Yankee win, and a four-game sweep of the playoff-tested Twins. But weary of having succumbed in last at bats three days running, Minnesota could have come into the Monday contest waving the flag of surrender and looking for bus fare out of town, so to speak. Rather, they made an immediate statement that this game would be no easier to win than the last three. Reaching Pettitte for two quick scores on back-to-back-to-back, one-out, first-inning hits, they made their intentions clear.

Likewise the Yanks, however, who immediately battered Perkins for two singles on eight pitches. Hitting righthanded against the fairly uncommon lefty starter, Teixeira followed by taking all of two pitches to homer deep to left, eclipsing Minnesota’s early rally by putting the Yanks up 3-2. A-Rod worked the ensuing count full, then homered to left as well. A Robbie Cano double and two singles plated two more and drove Perkins from the mound, and the Yanks had their biggest lead (at 6-2) since Pettitte last took the mound in Toronto last week, and his teammates bestowed upon him an extra-base-hit fest and a second-inning 5-1 lead.

But there was no “uncle” being uttered by this Minnesota team. No doubt angered by the three last-bat losses, they replied with a relentless offense and a bullpen that allowed just five singles and a walk through the bottom of the sixth. Pettitte has been around the pitching block, and he proved his mettle by not relinquishing the chance for yet another win on a night he did not have his best stuff. But the Twins were breathing down his neck the whole night. Andy failed to throw a hit-free inning, and he surrendered 12 safeties by the time Joe Girardi finally pulled him when he allowed his first and only walk with two down in the seventh.

The Twins had pulled to within 6-4 by then, off a Michael Cuddyer fourth-inning home run and a Denard Span sixth-inning rbi soft single that he lofted over Derek Jeter, a ball the Yankee shortstop may have corraled had he run back rather than trying to snatch it on a high leap. The fourth straight hit by first baseman Justin Morneau, a one-out double with one down in the seventh, put Andy on the precipice; the walk to Joe Crede one out later sent him to the showers. Jose Veras came on, walked the first man he faced, as he always seems to, to load the bases, then escaped when Carlos Gomez flied out to center.

Edwar Ramirez and Phil Coke would have trouble throwing strikes too, but they, along with a pleading Yankee fan crowd, would be aided when Teixeira came through yet again in the bottom half of the seventh. It had become clear as the night dragged on that the first-inning six spot might not be enough. Knucleballer R.A. Dickey had supplied yeoman work replacing Perkins, blanking New York through the fifth, and the Yanks had failed to add to their lead off Luis Ayala despite the single, single, sac bunt start they got off to in the home sixth. But Tex lofted Ayala’s third seventh-inning pitch high and deep to the “Damon deck” in right for a 7-4 lead.

Ramirez promptly gave the run back when left fielder Span homered to the first row in right with one down in the eighth. Once Edwar issued a two-out walk to Joe Mauer, Phil Coke came on to face Justin Morneau, who had homered off him Friday night, and now faced him as the tying run. The rookie lefthander stiffened and struck the Twins slugger out swinging on four pitches. The Yanks failed to score after Ramiro Pena reached on an error and was sacrificed to second by Francisco Cervelli, giving the young catcher a perfect 2-for-2 night with two sac bunts, and one caught stealing by the way. As Jeter and Johnny Damon failed to plate Pena, the Yankee pen remained chillingly quiet. It became obvious that closer Mariano Rivera, who had moonlighted as a late-inning non-closing reliever through three innings for the last two days running, was not available. The game was in the hands of the young Mr. Coke.

And the angry Twins gave the young lefty all he could handle. Crede worked a 10-pitch walk leading off the ninth, with pinch runner Matt Tolbert taking second on a fielder’s choice. A wild pitch and second fielder’s choice scored Minnesota’s sixth run, finally eclipsing the Yankee first. A seven-pitch walk followed, and pinch hitter Mark Redmond worked the Yankee rookie for another eight pitches, but Coke prevailed through a 31-pitch, two-walk inning when Redmond finally bounced out to second.

Andy Pettitte deserves kudos because he did what was necessary. His 70/35 strikes/balls ratio was the textbook equivalent of the 2-to-1 you would want, and the 23 of 33 first-pitch strikes speaks to a veteran with a lead, working to it. The lone walk sends the same message, but Andy will have to work on the 12 hits the next time the Yanks do not give him an explosive offensive inning. The Yankee defense was a strength yet again, a comforting aspect for a team that doesn’t always make the most of their offensive opportunities. The eye opener Robbie Cano turned in on a Span bouncer toward the hole in the second stands out because of the long underhand shovel pass to first he needed to complete it. Pena, playing third for the DH-ing Rodriguez, made a nice play on Span, as well, in the fourth, and Damon’s over-the-shoulder grab on Mauer’s deep fly to the left field corner in the third was big, given the double Morneau would stroke to right on the next pitch.

But Mr. Teixeira would make the nice-plays list too, as he usually does, this time in bookend fashion. First, he made a sprawling catch at first base of Cano’s throw to catch Span leading off the game before the next three guys reached for two runs. And he flagged down a Jason Kubel bouncer and tossed to Cooke at first for the initial out of the top of the ninth.

But one more word on Tex, and the way he has finally arrived in the Bronx. It was this day in 1956 that Yankee icon Mickey Mantle broke a major league record by homering from each side of the plate in the same game for the third time. Mickey never wasted his really big home runs, I like to believe, and the second he hit that day tied a game in which the Yanks would squeak by the White Sox, 8-7. Mr. Teixeira, on the other hand, plays on a team where three different players have gone yard from each side of the plate in the season’s first month, an all-time season record (one which could be further extended once Jorge Posada returns from the DL).

The legendary Mantle set his “both-sides” three times record playing with the Yanks in his sixth year. Mark homered from each side Monday night for the second time in Pinstripes in his 38th Yankee game.

BTW,TYW

YANKEE BASEBALL!!!