Yankees Win Eighth Straight on Teixeira’s Double in 14th Inning

Mark Teixeira’s two-run double in the 14th inning gave the American League-leading New York Yankees their eighth straight victory with a 5-3 win against the host Washington Nationals.

Teixeira drove in Jayson Nix and Derek Jeter in the longest game in terms of innings played by either team this season. The teams were on the field for four hours and 49 minutes yesterday at Nationals Park.

“I knew it wasn’t going to be out but I just wanted it to stay fair,” Teixeira told reporters. “I was sitting on a slider the entire at-bat and I got one to hit, so it was a good time for that double.”

The Yankees (39-25), who won their first game this season without a home run, have the best record in the American League and top the AL East, while the Nationals (38-25) are in first place in Major League Baseball’s National League East division.

Ian Desmond hit a solo home run in the eighth inning to tie the score at 3-3 for the Nationals at their home park. Jesus Flores hit a two-run double in the second inning for the Nationals.

The Yankees scored a run on an error by Desmond in the fourth inning. They added two runs in the sixth on Raul Ibanez’s groundout and a double by Eric Chavez.

Seven Pitchers

The Yankees used seven pitchers, including Freddy Garcia (1-2) in the 12th and 13th innings. He pitched two perfect innings in relief in his first assignment since June 5 and his second since May 21. Rafael Soriano recorded his 12th save while allowing two hits in the final inning.

Andy Pettitte, who returned to the Yankees after a yearlong retirement, set a major league record by starting his 52nd interleague game. Pettitte, who has a 19-16 record in games between NL and AL teams, passed the mark of Livan Hernandez. Pettitte allowed two runs on five hits and struck out six in seven innings.

Pettitte, who celebrated his 40th birthday on June 15, threw 95 pitches before he left the game.

“I was pretty gassed,” he told reporters. “I don’t know if it was from the heat, the day game, having to do a little bit different routine. Maybe being 40, I don’t know.”

Brad Lidge (0-1) gave up two runs on three hits in two- thirds of an inning for the Nationals, who also used seven pitchers.

Nick Swisher left the game in the sixth inning after he bruised his left quadriceps sliding into home plate. Manager Joe Girardi said he didn’t know whether Swisher would be ready to play today.

To contact the reporter on this story: Nancy Kercheval in Washington at nkercheval@bloomberg.net

To contact the editor responsible for this story: Michael Sillup at msillup@bloomberg.net