Yanks Say Goodby To 2016, Mark Teixeira

Today, the New York Yankees play their final game of the 2016 season and Mark Teixeira play the final game of his 14 year illustrious career. Before the game started, the Yankees paid tribute to their first baseman since 2009; complete with a video montage of his career highlights, capped off with a standing ovation as he was removed from first base during the seventh inning. Teixeira has been nothing but class ever since his first big league season in 2002. From his off-the-field charity work to his numbers in the Bronx (206 HRs or "Tex Messages as Yankee radio personality John Sterling referred to them, 622 RBI), Teixeira left his Mark on the Yankees and their fans. We will definitely miss you, #25.

Once the game started, the Baltimore orioles clinched a playoff spot with their game 160 to win over the Yankees this afternoon in the Bronx. Louise Sessa took the ball and the lost for New York this afternoon, falling victim to a large afternoon by Matt Wieters. Getting the call and when in the Orioles biggest game of the season was Kevin Gausman, improving to 9-12 while lowering his ERA to 3.61 in an outing that sealed a date with the Toronto Blue Jays in Tuesday night's American League Wild Card game.

Both starters cruised through the first two frames, but it was the third that saw the game's first scoring action. Jonathan Schoop started the inning with a leadoff ground-rule double to right, advancing to third on a Hyun-Soo Kim ground out. The next batter J,J. Hardy lofted a fly ball to left for a sacrifice fly that scored Schoop to give the O's a one run lead.

In the top of the fourth, Matt Wieters launched a two-run shot deep into the seats in right field to extend Baltimore's lead to three.

Although the Yankees were held scoreless through the first three frames, they jumped on Gausman for a run in the bottom of the fourth. Brian McCann led off the inning with his 20th long ball of the year, a deep blast to right that put the Yanks on the board at 3-1.  The homerun put McCann in some rare company, joining three Hall of Fame backstops(Johnny Bench, Mike Piazza, Yogi Berra) as the fourth catcher to record double digit seasons of 20 or more homeruns.

It seemed as though Matt Wieters put his Orioles on his back this afternoon, launching his second two-run homerun of the game in the top of the sixth to widened the Orioles lead to a 5-1 score.

Didi Gregorius added an RBI single in the bottom of the eighth to make the score 5-2, where it would remain the rest of the game. As much as they didn't want it to happen, all of the Yankees and their fans had to watch the Orioles celebrate their playoff birth on their home turf.

I have  thoroughly enjoyed watching all of these games this season and bringing you my perspective on how the game transpired. I look forward to many more seasons of it. I leave you with this thought for next season, as Joe Girardi put it in his pre-game press conference, "we are going to do everything in our power to bring a championship back to New York next season."