Mark Teixeira was so livid over third-base coach Joe Espada telling him to ease up while attempting to score from second base in the eighth inning Monday night against the Rangers, he threw equipment and a garbage can around in the Yankees dugout.
“He said, ‘Easy, easy’ twice,’’ said Teixeira, who was thrown out at the plate by center fielder Leonys Martin for the final out of the inning after fielding Chase Headley’s single. “That can’t happen. I can get hurt not expecting a play at the plate. That’s a big run. There are a lot of reasons that can’t happen. I love Joe Espada, he apologized and it’s over, but it was a big mistake.’’
Espada, who is in the first year replacing Rob Thomson as the third-base coach, took full responsibility for the play, which luckily didn’t get Teixeira injured.
“It was my call. I told him to take it easy. I wasn’t expecting the throw,’’ Espada said. “It was my fault. I try to take care of their legs. There was two outs and he got a good jump. I thought he would score easily.’’
When Headley saw Teixeira get thrown out, he fired his helmet to the ground between first and second.
“It was frustrating, I got caught in the moment,’’ said Headley, who had three hits. “It was miscommunication and I reacted. In 162 games, it happens, no big deal.’’
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