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Message Delivered: Mark Teixeira Accuses Vicente Padilla Of Playing Beanball; Yankees Top Rangers

Posted on June 2nd, 2009 10:46pm by Evan Grant
Filed under Baseball, Game Recap, Texas Rangers

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NEW YORK - Mark Teixeira didn’t care much for Vicente Padilla’s pitching tendencies before he became a Ranger, while the two were teammates or now that they’ve split up again.

Those sentiments became very clear again Tuesday as the Yankees drilled the Rangers 12-3. The only thing the Rangers drilled was Teixeira. Twice.

The first time Padilla hit Teixeira, he simply jogged to first base with a knowing smirk. The second time, he slammed his bat down yelled a few not-so-nice thoughts and stared Padilla down for a moment before going to first. He got his revenge by taking out Elvis Andrus with a hard, but clean slide that prohibited the Rangers from turning an inning-ending double play. The Yankees tacked on five more runs thanks to the extended inning and led 9-3 by the time it was over.

But Teixeira was only heating up.

“It’s just not the right way to play the game,” Teixeira told reporters after the game. “Unfortunately that guy has been doing it his whole career. Every time I’ve faced him, there have been balls at my head and at my body.”

And Teixeira said, he realled a couple of bruises left by “payback” pitches when he was with the Ranger, retribution for Padilla’s plunking of opponents.

“Well, I remember getting hit a lot because he was hitting other players,” Teixeira said. “Like I said, there’s really no reason for it and tonight, the same kind of thing.”

The unhappy relationship dates back to 2005 when Padilla was with Philadelphia and Teixeira a Ranger. In a June 9 start in Philadelphia, David Dellucci led off the game with a homer and two batters later Teixeira homered. In the third, Teixeira homered again. Next time up, Padilla plunked him.

While with Texas, Teixeira and other teammates occasionally had to duck brushback pitches as retaliation for Padilla’s plunkings, but Teixeira was hit only once in a Padilla start (May 31, 2007).

Padilla said the four-seam fastball that hit Teixeira on Tuesday was unintentional. Padilla said he had trouble all night controlling the fastball, which led to four walks to go along with the two times he hit Teixeira.

“I don’t think it would be fair for him to say that,” Padilla said through interpretor Eleno Ornelas, the Rangers Spanish language play-by-play voice. “I had runners on the corners. I would not risk that in the game. If he thinks it was intentional, that’s just stupid.”

Manager Ron Washington said simply: “I think he was trying to go inside.”

The Rangers still had to deal with the fallout, though. After Teixeira reached he slid extremely hard into second base to break up a double play and keep the inning going. While Andrus acknowledged he probably took a beating on the play as payback, he had no issues with the play. CF Marlon Byrd, who had a good look at the play said the slide was clean. Teixeira called the hard slide a “good coincidence.”

“He went cleats down and that to me is the biggest sign of whether its clean or dirty,” Byrd said. “He probably could have gone in a lot harder than he did, but that would have been dirty and I don’t think he’s that kind of player.”

The benches were not warned after the second time Teixeira was hit, essentially giving the Yankees freedom to retaliate as they saw fit. In the fifth inning, RHP A.J. Burnett threw one at Nelson Cruz’s helmet. While the pitch missed, both benches were warned.

“AJ’s a veteran pitcher,” Teixeira said. “I think there was a little message sent.”

Actually there were a lot of messages sent Tuesday. By Teixeira. By Burnett. And mostly by the Yankees, who have now won three of the four meetings against the Rangers this season by a composite score of 35-13.

“We got beat,” Byrd said. “They did what good teams when the other team takes a lead. We need to take a lesson from them.”

34 Comments to “Message Delivered: Mark Teixeira Accuses Vicente Padilla Of Playing Beanball; Yankees Top Rangers”

Daniel @ June 2nd, 2009 at 11:01 pm

And we care what Teixeira thinks why?
scooper @ June 2nd, 2009 at 11:03 pm

Considering their personalities, I’m sure that Padilla and Tex don’t like each other. Padilla is the one I’d want on my side in a fight!
CJ Love @ June 2nd, 2009 at 11:10 pm

Teixeira is a jerk. Not to repeat myself from an earlier post but here goes. A. He’s a whiner (thanks for proving my point on this tonight, Tex) B. He’s arrogant (and proving this one too) and C. he couldn’t care less about the fans, coaches or members of a team who helped him get that mighty Yankee contract. D-bag.
jb @ June 2nd, 2009 at 11:33 pm

i just knew after the balk that padilla was going to nail tex… he’s infamous for taking out his frustration this way

oh well, you win some, you lose some, and some get rained out
thirdold @ June 2nd, 2009 at 11:34 pm

The only problem I have is with Burnett’s pitch at Cruz’s head. If that makes contact you’re looking at a guy being out for awhile best case and possibly seriously injuring him worst case. Either way have enough control to hit him in the butt, take the warning and go on. Mitch Williams had it right on the MLB channel. Aim for the glute and DON’T MISS! You’re a big league pitcher, hit him in the a**. We learned that in legion ball or even before. As far as Padilla, good on ya. He’s known for putting his guys in harms way, but seriously doesn’t every team need a guy like this that’s a bit off his rocker…the other team doesn’t know what to expect. I’m much more concerned with his pace or lack thereof then coming inside on guys too much. Guys have pitched inside for 100 years…This is part of what makes America’s game America’s game.
Kaisersoze @ June 2nd, 2009 at 11:48 pm

So throwing at the head of Nelson Cruz is fine but Teixeira getting one in the ribs is the end of the world? What a putz….

What was that Kevin James TV show? The Drama Queen of Queens? I forget, someone remind me.
Joel @ June 3rd, 2009 at 12:29 am

Thanks Tex for confirming why I’m glad you don’t play for Texas anymore!

Anyone hear see his comments about Giardi is the best manager he’s ever played for? Really? Better than Bobby Cox and Mike Scioscia? What a goob!
maf @ June 3rd, 2009 at 1:12 am

That’s my issue with him, too, is thinking throwing at Cruz’s head was fine. To hear him talk, Padilla got him hit 30 times or something. Look, I fully think Padilla sometimes just gets pissed off and throws at people, and it’s a wrong thing to do. It’s wrong because at worst he gets thrown out, but his teammates take the brunt of it. If Elvis Andrus had wound up getting a season ending knee injury along the lines of Iwamura, clean slide or not, I would be pissed at Padilla, probably. But I also think Padilla is one of the rare pitchers nowadays that pitches inside just to try and dominate the inside corner. And in today’s game that really pisses the players off, and it’s pretty silly. He had terrible control tonight. He probably pitched inside on purpose, but whatever. Tex is just a little bitch, really. I agree with TAG, either take your base quietly or charge the mound. It’s pretty weak to yell at the pitcher and glare at him. This is just quibbling, too, but Victor Rojas was pissing me off on the MLB Network, “I covered Texas and Tex never had a takeout slide like that, only now that he’s a pinstriper!” And he was clearly admiring the pitch thrown at Cruz. I don’t know. It’s just funny to me that Teixeira never got so fired up until he became a “great Yankee.” I really am glad he’s not a Ranger anymore. He really is a jerk.
scooper @ June 3rd, 2009 at 1:15 am

@maf: Well said!
I'm With Incaviglia @ June 3rd, 2009 at 6:26 am

Tex is woosy and he is a perfect for the Yankees. That being said I can’t wait to see Padilla in another uniform next season.
David C @ June 3rd, 2009 at 6:30 am

I was out last night and saw the 2nd hit on Teixeira, but not the 1st. Also had no sound to listen to. When I saw it, I was just furious that the guy would provide such theatrics after getting hit in his big butt. After later finding out that this was his 2nd time to be hit, I more or less understood why he was pissed. Anyway, I wondered if Tom Grieve had had any comments about it, and reading what MAF posted above apparently he did.

Teixeira is where he needs to be. He is a terrific player, but he is not really a leader. When he was here, he was the most high profile guy on the team, and I don’t think he wanted that, nor did I think most of his teammates liked him. The Yankees are probably the only team in sports that he can make $20 million a season and not be expected to be “THE” guy. All around him in the lineup he’s surrounded by guys who make $10 million plus, many of whom are much better leaders than he is. He has do deal with the pressure of playing in New York, and that is a downside for him, but he doesn’t have to be the team leader, and in that situation he will flourish, as much as I would love to see him fail.
rob m @ June 3rd, 2009 at 7:40 am

So it takes a beaning by Padilla to motivate Teixeira enough to go hard into 2B to break up a DP?
Brad @ June 3rd, 2009 at 8:04 am

Hey Teixiera, you are a sellout, go collect your paycheck and stop crying!
Michael in LH @ June 3rd, 2009 at 8:06 am

I hope Tex gets it again tonight – twice.
James @ June 3rd, 2009 at 8:18 am

Tex needs to think a little bit about the situation each time he got hit. To load the bases each time? Please, don’t be such a crybaby.

And if Kinsler gives Elvis a solid feed on that groundball instead of a soft flip the DP gets turned, inning over.
Jon @ June 3rd, 2009 at 8:38 am

I do not miss Tex.

I will not miss Padilla.
David @ June 3rd, 2009 at 9:07 am

I hope he gets plunked however many times it takes for him to charge the mound tonight. I doubt he’ll get that many at bats though as it would take him having Chuck Norris on his side to do anything.

What a posse. And by the word describing a group of followers, I mean the word that precedes willow.
NTC-Brendan @ June 3rd, 2009 at 9:10 am

The Rangers would be better off with both them out of the picture. We are halfway there!
Mike in Reno @ June 3rd, 2009 at 11:26 am

Not that this has to do with the beaning, but Tex and A-Rod can’t deliver in big situations. The Yanks very well may end up with the AL’s best regular season record this year, but they will not win the World Series b/c those guys can’t deliver in the clutch. Give me MY, Kins, or a host of other big-time players before Tex and A-Rod when the heat is on.
Juboon @ June 3rd, 2009 at 11:38 am

Yeah, add me to the list of the unimpressed and of the glad-he’s-gone. Hey, Teixeira! Didja see Kinsler get beaned pretty much in the same place a week or so ago? That’s how it’s done — give the pitcher a look that says, “Is THAT the best you’ve got?!” and take your base like a man. Does he really not realize that the more you spout this victim crap, the more Padilla (and everyone else) knows it’s having the right effect? No matter which team wins, the seed has been planted.
mrlivingston @ June 3rd, 2009 at 12:06 pm

whether you like texeira or not is irrelevant. the goal is to win ballgames. it’s pretty clear padilla, a well known hothead, was throwing at tex. and given the result of what padilla did, 6 runs and a blowout loss, you’d think more people, including Padilla’s teammates, would be upset with Padilla’s actions. At the very least, I bet you nelson cruz told Padilla to cut the crap afterwards-he almost had his face rearranged by a fastball.
Wednesday morning Rangers stuff @ June 3rd, 2009 at 12:12 pm

[...] Anyway…Evan Grant’s game story is about Padilla throwing at Teixeira, which prompted Teixeira to aggressively take out Elvis Andrus and A.J. Burnett to throw at Nelson Cruz later in the game. The game was actually tied when Padilla hit Teixeira the second time, and hitting him to load the bases helped open the flood gates, with the Yankees being up 9-3 at the end of that inning. [...]
Jericho @ June 3rd, 2009 at 12:37 pm

Being thrown at is part of the game. I just thought Burnett’s headhunting was blatantly wrong. There are plenty of other areas to go after on the inside. As for Tex, I never really liked him when he was here, thought less of him with the Angels, and forgot about him with the Braves. Great hitter, excellent gloveman—but there is something really unlikeable about him. I cannot pinpoint it but I just don’t like the man. Would accept him on my team but for some reason would not pursue him.
Raoul @ June 3rd, 2009 at 12:57 pm

Teixiera is a dick
Longhorn Matt @ June 3rd, 2009 at 1:36 pm

The only thing that I like about Tex is what the Rangers got in return for him. Thanks for turning down the Rangers’ offer, Tex!
Amitheonlysaneone @ June 3rd, 2009 at 1:38 pm

For those of you getting on Tex for getting upset, remember that he didn’t do anything the first time he got hit. He simply ran to first. I would say that 99% of the players in MLB (including all of your beloved Rangers) would have a reaction after being hit the second time. Especially with the history they have. As far as the pitch to Cruz, it was intentionally high, but it was so high there is no way it would have hit him. Sometimes you need to take off your Ranger-Red glasses and have a little more perspective.
Chad Crudup @ June 3rd, 2009 at 2:20 pm

Amitheonlysaneone…

Hear hear! I’m an RFFL but I’m not wearing my Rangers fan-panties so tight that I’m going to think any of the Rangers hitters wouldn’t have had a similar reaction. And the next morning you would have all been on here posting about how justifiable their reactions were.
C.J. @ June 3rd, 2009 at 2:25 pm

Two things:

1. Padilla clearly beaned him on purpose, partly because he wanted out of the game, and partly because that’s his M.O. Not saying it’s excusable, but we all know that this is the kind of baggage Padilla carries.

2. Texeira is an arrogant player, and while nobody deserves to get nailed an indordinate amount of times, his d-bag demeanor means he gets no pity from me. If you’re such a bad*ss, then take it like a man, or, better yet, like TAG said, charge the mound.
Chad Crudup @ June 3rd, 2009 at 2:34 pm

C.J.

Any chance TAG would say the same thing when, say, Marlon Byrd or David Murphy get hit and have an identical reaction to Teixeira’s? I’d say about the same chance he would react to a Ranger getting called out on a pitch that was out of the strike zone (per pitch tracker) by saying “that’s out of the zone but you have to swing at it” as he did when an Athletics hitter got such a call last week.
dooley in dallas @ June 3rd, 2009 at 3:27 pm

I would have paid big bucks to see Teixeira charge the mound and try to bitch-slap Padilla. Padilla would have murdered him.
Big Cat @ June 3rd, 2009 at 3:31 pm

I hope Tex gets drilled in the temple every time he steps in
Amitheonlysaneone @ June 3rd, 2009 at 3:49 pm

Big Cat obviously can be taken seriously.

The fact that the Rangers put Padilla on waivers shows where they stand on the issue. I have a feeling that if Andrus would have had his season ended last night on that slide, then there probably would have been a throw-down in the Rangers clubhouse. Padilla probably would have the crap kicked out of him by his own teammates before he could be put on waivers today.
jdb @ June 4th, 2009 at 12:04 am

so tex is a jerk. and your condoning throwing at hitters. you’re an idiot.
D. Fisher @ July 30th, 2009 at 1:50 pm

Mark Teixeira is the BIGGEST JERK that ever played baseball. Does anyone else ever notice how MUCH he fondles himself, like all the time.