Mark Teixeira
A switch-hitting powerhouse whose golden glove and clutch home runs anchored the Yankees' infield during their 2009 World Series championship run.
Born 1980 (age 46)·American baseball player and politician·Birthday: April 11·Generation X
Biography
Mark Teixeira, known universally as 'Tex,' carried himself with a corporate polish that belied his ferocious competitive drive. The Maryland native was a college star at Georgia Tech, winning the Dick Howser Trophy, before becoming the fifth overall pick in 2001. In the majors, he quickly established himself as the complete modern first baseman: a switch-hitter with effortless power from both sides of the plate and a defensive wizard who made picking bad throws look like an art form. After impactful stops in Texas, Atlanta, and Anaheim, he found his destiny in pinstripes, signing with the New York Yankees in 2009. That season, he led the American League in home runs and RBIs, providing the middle-of-the-order thump that propelled the Yankees to their 27th title. Injuries later slowed his trajectory, but his peak years defined an era of two-way excellence at his position.
Generation X
1965–1980
The latchkey kids. Raised during divorce, recession, and the end of the Cold War. Skeptical, self-reliant, media-literate. They invented indie culture, grunge, and the early internet — then watched the Boomers take credit.
Mark was born in 1980, placing them squarely in the Generation X. The events that shaped this generation — economic uncertainty, the end of the Cold War, and the rise of personal computing — shaped the world they entered and the choices available to them.
#1 When Mark Was Born
The biggest hits of 1980
#1 Movie
The Empire Strikes Back
Best Picture
Ordinary People
#1 TV Show
Dallas
Mark's Life & Times
The world at every milestone
1980Born
John Lennon shot and killed in New York
Gas: $1.19/galHome: $47,200Min wage: $3.10/hrPresident: Jimmy Carter"Call Me" — BlondieBest Picture: Ordinary People
1985Started school
Live Aid concerts raise money for Ethiopian famine
Gas: $1.12/galHome: $62,900Min wage: $3.35/hrPresident: Ronald Reagan"Careless Whisper" — Wham!Best Picture: Out of Africa
1993Became a teenager
European Union officially established
Gas: $1.11/galHome: $86,600Min wage: $4.25/hrPresident: Bill Clinton"I Will Always Love You" — Whitney HoustonBest Picture: Schindler's List
1996Could drive
Dolly the sheep cloned
Gas: $1.23/galHome: $99,700Min wage: $4.75/hrPresident: Bill Clinton"Macarena" — Los del RioBest Picture: The English Patient
1998Could vote
Google founded; Clinton impeachment
Gas: $1.06/galHome: $107,300Min wage: $5.15/hrPresident: Bill Clinton"Too Close" — NextBest Picture: Shakespeare in Love
2001Turned 21
September 11 attacks transform the world
Gas: $1.46/galHome: $126,400Min wage: $5.15/hrPresident: George W. Bush"Hanging by a Moment" — LifehouseBest Picture: A Beautiful Mind
2010Turned 30
Deepwater Horizon oil spill; iPad launched
Gas: $2.79/galHome: $147,800Min wage: $7.25/hrPresident: Barack Obama"Tik Tok" — KeshaBest Picture: The King's Speech
2020Turned 40
COVID-19 pandemic shuts down the world
Gas: $2.17/galHome: $248,800Min wage: $7.25/hrPresident: Donald Trump"Blinding Lights" — The WeekndBest Picture: Nomadland
2026Age 46 today
Gas: $3.91/galPresident: Donald Trump
Key Achievements
- Won three Gold Glove Awards and five Silver Slugger Awards for his dual-threat ability.
- Led the American League in home runs (39) and runs batted in (122) during the Yankees' 2009 championship season.
- Hit 409 career home runs as one of the most potent switch-hitters in MLB history.
- Member of the 2005 American League All-Star team.
Did You Know?
He and his wife, Leigh, founded the 'Dream Team 25' charity which provides scholarships to children who have lost a parent.
He graduated from Georgia Tech with a degree in management.
After baseball, he served as a special advisor for player development for the Yankees before being elected to the Greenwich, Connecticut Representative Town Meeting.
“I want to be remembered as a winner. I want to be remembered as a guy who played the game the right way.”
