Yankees hit 5 HRs, 2 by Tex, to rout Texas

Mark Teixeira would eye Eddie Murray intently in the batter's box, anxiously awaiting pure magic. Now, the Yankees first baseman has something in common with his childhood hero.

"Eddie Murray's the reason I'm a switch hitter," Teixeira said. "Growing up in Baltimore, my dad and I loved watching him play. He used to always say, 'We're going to the game tonight. Is Eddie going to hit one from the left side or the right side?' "

Wednesday night Teixeira channeled his inner Murray, belting a home run from each side of the plate in a 12-4 rout of Texas at the Stadium. He tied teammate Curtis Granderson and Toronto's Jose Bautista for most home runs in the majors (21).

It also marked the 11th time Teixeira homered from both sides of the plate in a game, tying Chili Davis and Murray for the all-time record, and the sixth time he has done it in pinstripes.

"It's just pretty neat to be a part of that group," said Teixeira, who went 3-for-5 with four RBIs.

But he wasn't the only Yankee to go deep, as all four infielders went yard in a five-homer outburst. Besides Teixeira's big blasts in the first and sixth innings, Eduardo Nuñez, who celebrated his 24th birthday, hit his second homer in the fourth. Ramiro Peña snapped a 166 at-bat homerless streak with a solo shot in the sixth, and Robinson Cano added his 14th, a three-run shot, in the eighth.

"Me and Robbie, you almost expect that from us,'' Teixeira said, "but when Nuñez and Peña go deep like that, we're just so excited."

The dugout erupted with cries of "Happy Birthday!" and high-fives for Nuñez. When Peña hit his, according to Teixeira, "We said, 'It's your birthday, too!' "

It was the first time since 1920 that the Yankees have hit five home runs and stolen five bases. The Yankees, who had 12 hits, have scored 24 runs in two games since Derek Jeter (calf strain) went on the 15-day disabled list.

The offensive surge helped Ivan Nova (6-4) pick up a win despite an uninspiring performance. He gave up four earned runs, seven hits and three walks in 52/3 innings. The righthander dug a 2-0 first-inning hole after giving up a hit on the first pitch he threw to leadoff hitter Ian Kinsler, walking Elvis Andrus and surrendering an RBI single to Josh Hamilton. Michael Young grounded into a fielder's choice, allowing Andrus to score.

But the Bombers' bats bailed Nova out of trouble in the bottom of the inning. After Derek Holland (5-2) hit Granderson in the back with a 77-mph curve, Teixeira drilled his 20th home run over the leftfield wall to tie it. Nova also benefited from the Yankees' defense.

The Rangers were down 6-5 with runners on first and second with two outs in the sixth when Andrus' single sailed over the outstretched glove of reliever Luis Ayala and bounced into centerfield. But Granderson rifled a one-hop bullet to the right side of home plate. Francisco Cervelli, with his left leg blocking Yorvit Torrealba's path, applied the easy tag. The catcher pumped his fist repeatedly, lost in the moment of a dazzling throw and an even better defensive effort at the plate.

"I just knew that I gave him a shot, and that was the main thing,'' Granderson said.

"It was 'the play of the game,' " Nova said of the throw.

Nick Swisher went 1-for-3 with two walks in his first start in the leadoff spot since 2008, while with the White Sox. Alex Rodriguez (0-for-3) scored a run in the fifth, tying Ted Williams for 16th with 1,799 runs.