BOSTON — With Mark Teixeira headed back to New York on Monday to have more tests on his injured shin, Yankees General Manager Brian Cashman was asked what his alternatives at first base might be besides Greg Bird.
“Bird,” Cashman said.
So it was that the Yankees dived into the final five weeks of the season counting on a rookie to replace their leading home run hitter.
That night against the Red Sox, Bird delivered a single in the fourth as part of a Yankees rally that tied the score at 2-2, but Boston reclaimed the lead in the bottom of the inning and went on to win, 4-3.