If the Yankees are to mount a comeback in the ALCS, they will have to do it without Mark Teixeira.
The Yankees first baseman and No. 3 hitter will miss the rest of the postseason with a Grade 2 strained right hamstring. Teixeira suffered the injury as he tried to beat out a ground ball in the fifth inning of the Yankees’ 10-3 loss last night to the Rangers in Game 4 of the ALCS.
Teixeira grabbed his leg just before reaching first base after hitting a ground ball to third. He fell awkwardly into a slide at first and was safe, but moments later it was clear he was in major pain.
Trainer Steve Donohue tended to him at first, then Teixeira was helped off the field. He went to New York-Presbyterian Hospital during the game for an MRI exam, which revealed the strain.
The doctors told Teixeira he would need 6-8 weeks to recover, meaning his 2010 season is over.
“Disappointed, angry,” Teixeira said when asked about his emotions. “You play all year and you battle all year to get a chance to help your team out in the World Series, hopefully, and it’s just not going to happen for me this year.”
The loss of Teixeira is a huge blow to the Yankees despite the fact he was 0-for-14 in this series. They will now have a decline in defense at first base and lose power in their lineup.
The Yankees will remove him from the roster today, making him ineligible for the World Series. Yankees manager Joe Girardi said the team plans on adding infielder Eduardo Nunez to the roster today.
Teixeira battled a broken toe and a bruised thumb over the final five weeks of the season, and needed a cortisone shot in the thumb in September to keep playing.
“These last six weeks have been really tough,” Teixeira said. “Every ounce of energy I’ve had has been to try to get healthy and try to be able to play. I think my body just said, ‘That’s it. It’s enough.’ “
After Teixeira left the game, Nick Swisher moved from right field to first base and Marcus Thames played right.
Girardi will likely play Lance Berkman at first base in Teixeira’s absence. That would leave a hole at designated hitter against right-handed pitchers. Girardi could use Jorge Posada at DH and catch Francisco Cervelli.
In the batting order, Girardi most likely will move Robinson Cano into the No. 3 spot and slide everyone up one spot in the bottom of the order.
The injury occurred with no outs in the fifth, Derek Jeter on second and Curtis Granderson on first. Teixeira hit a hard grounder to third baseman Michael Young off Derek Holland. Young stepped on third to get one out and threw to first. Replays showed Teixeira grimacing a few feet from first, then grabbing his leg before he fell awkwardly into the slide.
After beginning the season in a terrible slump, Teixeira hit .283 over his final 101 games with 25 home runs and 74 RBIs in that span. He finished the year with 33 home runs and 108 RBIs.
Audio: Teixeira: I Knew It Wasn’t Good
Audio: Berkman: I Thought It Was Fair
Audio: Gardner: One Game At A Time
Audio: Jeter: We Can’t Feel Bad For Ourselves
Audio: Burnett: I Came Out And Gave All I Had
Audio: Girardi: AJ Was Throwing The Ball Well
brian.costello@nypost.com