Teixeira wins showdown with Padilla by using his bat

It was a highly anticipated scenario when Mark Teixeira came to bat against Vicente Padilla at Yankee Stadium Saturday night.  Besides being in a close Red Sox-Yankees game, it was the first time the two players faced each since Teixeira went public with his contempt for the Boston pitcher's habit of throwing at batters and Padilla returned fire by telling the New York slugger to "go play a women's sport."


At this showdown, Teixeira did all of his talking with his bat and crushed an eighth-inning, two-run homer over the left field fence to tie the game at six after the Yankees had scratched back from being down 6-1.

After Tex admired his long ball for a second, he rounded the bases to rousing cheers and never even looked at his nemesis on the mound.

The mongoose vs. cobra relationship between the two players came to a head on July 7 after Teixeira hit a game-winning triple in Fenway Park after being knocked down by Padilla for the third time his his career.  After the game, the Yankees first baseman told reporters," [Padilla] would have been suspended if he was in the NFL."

Yankees manager, Joe Girardi,  even entertained thoughts of benching Teixeira to prevent a beaning if the Boston hurler was on the mound and Tex was on the on-deck circle.

Teixeira's third career homer against Padilla might have won the war-of-words battle but the Red Sox tapped Yankees closer Rafael Soriano for two runs in the ninth—after Curtis Granderson's slip— for an 8-6 victory in the rain-delayed game to win the war.

The two teams play the rubber match of the three game series Sunday.

Teixeira calls Padilla's prejudice comments 'Hilarious'

Mark Teixeira did a lot of fielding yesterday but too bad most of it was directed at questions stemming from Boston Red Sox pitcher Vicente Padilla's accusations that the Yankees first baseman was prejudiced against Latinos and would "be better off playing a women's sport."

Offended and amused by the remarks Padilla made after Saturday's double-header— including accusations that Teixeira threatened to hit him with a bat while they were Texas Rangers teammates— Teixeira fired back.

"Hilarious," said Teixeira.  "If that's the case, interview every one of my Latin teammates in the clubhouse right no and ask them. . . it's completely erroneous."

Teixeira has never tried to hide the fact that he dislikes Padilla- a feud that goes back in 2005 when they first faced each other as opponents and Tex hit home runs in his first two at-bats.  Padilla plunked Teixeira on the very next pitch.

After that run-in, they became uncomfortable teammates with the Rangers, when, according to Teixeira, he and Michael Young took most of the retaliation for Padilla popping opposing batters.

The rivalry escalated after Teixeira knocked in the winning run off Padilla in Friday's game and said the pitcher "doesn't have a lot of friends in the game" and "In the NFL, he would probably be suspended by Roger Goodell for eight games or a whole season.  But this is baseball."

Teixeira— of Portuguese-American descent— laughed at Padilla's claim that he was afraid of the pitcher.

"That's crazy," Teixeira said.  "But I wouldn't expect anything else really."

Both Freddy Garcia and Cano Robinson had Teixeira's back when it came to the Latino bias claims.

"I don't know anything that happened over there [in Texas], but he is a nice guy, one of the nicest guys on the team," said Robinson.

Garcia called his Yankee teammate "a great guy, a family guy.  he respects everybody... Anybody can say anything they want to say."

Yankees manager Joe Girardi actually contemplated pinch-hitting for Tex if he was up against Padilla— just to avoid a confrontation.

"You'd think that— with what was said— if [Padilla] hits him, it's not going to be 2-3 days," said Girardi.  "He could hurt my guy."

Teixeira brushed off the Padilla's claim that he's "always thrown inside" and "it's not my problem if it hits someone."

"The fact is certain things happen in this game and hitters don't have  the same powers... pitchers do," said Teixeira who has been on the receiving end of three Padilla inside pitches in 18 at-bats.  "The only other thing I could do is charge the mound... I'm not gonna charge the mound and get my teammates hurt."

Regarding Padilla's comment that he should be playing women's sports, Tex was a little more lighthearted, "Women's boxing is pretty tough."

Teixeira unloads on Red Sox headhunter Padilla during, after game

Mark Teixeira sent a message to the Boston Red Sox by pounding a two-run triple into the triangle section of Fenway Park to give the New York Yankees an 8-7 seventh-inning lead on Friday night— a one-run cushion they would not relinquish on their way to a 10-8 win— but had a stronger message to the noted headhunter Vicente Padilla who gave it up.

"I had to get in line," said the normally diplomatic Teixeira.  "He doesn't have a lot of friends in the game."

Padilla is a relief pitcher known for drilling opposing batters and Vice and Tex— former Texas Rangers teammates— may now be the closest thing baseball has to Tom and Katie — minus the burly Scientology bodyguards.

"The guy throws at people," said Teixeira— who has been plunked by the fastballer three times in previous meetings.  "Fact of the matter, I'm not saying anything that's news.  It is what it is.  I've always been someone that wants to play the game the right way.  You play hard, but you don't play cheap."

Tex didn't stop there.

"In the NFL, he would probably be suspended by Roger Goodell for eight games or a whole season but this is baseball."

Coming from most any other player these words would be considered common trash talk but from the Yankees first baseman— who avoids controversy like he dodges Padilla's bean balls— it is totally out of character.

"Almost every at-bat, he tries to throw at your head, does a throw behind you or something screwy," Teixeira said.  "With first and second and the game on the line, he's not going to do it then, so I could actually dig in and look for a good pitch to hit."

Teixeira knew his at-bat was more than a personal feud with Padilla— after the Yankees had blown a 5-0 first-inning advantage and a 6-5 lead later — but was "surprised" when he had to bat against his old nemesis— a righthander who threw seven Teixeira seven straight fastballs.

Tex worked the count full before hitting the ball into no-man's land in center field.  Curtis Granderson and Alex Rodriguez scored as Teixeira rounded the bases for his first triple of the year.

"Game-winning hits always feel good," said Teixeira.  "But that one definitely felt real good."