Former MLB All-Star and longtime New York Yankees first baseman Mark Teixeira moved one step closer to serving Texas in Washington after a blowout victory in the state’s Republican primary on Tuesday night.
Teixeira, a first-time politician, received roughly 60.9% of the Republican vote and will face Kristin Hook in the general election on Nov. 3. The winner will represent Texas’ 21st Congressional District in the U.S. House of Representatives.
President Donald Trump recently endorsed Teixeira, who turns 46 in April and played a pivotal role on the 2009 Yankees team that won the World Series. In an X post on Tuesday night, Teixeira thanked his family and his supporters for their roles in the “huge victory.”
“We’re going to run a strong race and win big in November, then hit the ground running to fight for Texas families,” Teixeira wrote on X.
This is a huge victory, and I’m truly honored to have such strong support from the people of TX-21. Thank you!
I’m so grateful to everyone who voted, put in the work, donated, and especially prayed for us along the way.
My amazing family has been by my side every step of the… pic.twitter.com/HiQ5yXDavK
— Mark Teixeira (@teixeiramark25) March 4, 2026
Although none of Teixeira’s former teams — he spent the first part of his career with the Texas Rangers, then played for the Atlanta Braves and Los Angeles Angels before joining the Yankees ahead of the 2009 season — had commented on his victory, plenty of social media users chimed in and added a baseball-themed layer to the celebration.
If Teixeira wins in November, he could eventually find himself in contention to play for the Republican Party in the Congressional Baseball Game. Naturally, that lent itself to memes about how opponents would handle facing a three-time All-Star who hit over 400 home runs.
“I know who to bet on in the Congressional Baseball Game for the foreseeable future!” Kansas City radio host Pete Mundo quipped.
Some X users included GIFs or videos of home runs, whether they came from movies or were hit by Teixeira himself, in their posts. One X user attached a video of Teixeira’s walk-off home run against the Minnesota Twins in a 2009 playoff game and wrote, “Mark Teixeira against Alexandra Ocasio-Cortez in the 2027 Congressional Baseball Game.”
Another X user made a similar joke, albeit with a video depicting former San Francisco Giants star Barry Bonds hitting a home run into the upper deck at the old Yankee Stadium. Rather than envisioning Teixeira hitting the home run off Ocasio-Cortez, that X user said that Pennsylvania Rep. Chris Deluzio would be the pitcher.
Mark Teixeira against Alexandra Ocasio Cortez in the 2027 Congressional Baseball Game https://t.co/KURPVphBSG pic.twitter.com/nVAR8ZYfHo
— Wyer (@wyermush) March 4, 2026
Those familiar with longtime Yankees radio voice John Sterling also had fun. Sterling, who retired in 2024, had unique home run calls for every Yankee player. Teixeira, technically, had two, as Sterling would say, “Mark sends a Tex message into [location]. You’re on the Mark, Teixeira!” In complementing the 2001 first-round pick’s achievement, some commenters referenced the latter call.
Of course, not all X users were thrilled with Teixeira, with one Yankees fan calling the retired slugger a “loser” for pursuing a political career.
“Hopefully the Democrats intentionally walk him EVERY SINGLE [time],” they wrote.
The Republicans hold an all-time 47–42 lead and have won the last five Congressional Baseball Game matchups.
