Happy birthday Mark Teixeira and welcome to Patch!

Former Georgia Tech All-American and New York Yankees slugger Mark Teixeira celebrates his 32nd birthday Wednesday and Patch joins in the party by naming the two-time All-Star, three-time Silver Slugger and four-time Gold Glove Award-winner as the “Commissioner of Patch Baseball.”

Teixeira, who grew up in the Patch town of Severna Park, MD and lives in the Patch town of Greenwich, Conn., will interact with Patch users by regularly responding to questions, sharing baseball tips, and posting exclusive videos. Teixeira will also offer young athletes advice on how to stay in shape and why healthful eating is so important for optimal performance.

“I live in a Patch town now and I keep tabs on my original hometown via the Patch site there, so I’ve seen the ways that Patch supports its communities,” commented Teixeira. “I’m excited to be a part of that by connecting with Patch users who have the same passion for baseball that I do. I’m eager to see what kinds of questions they toss my way!”

Teixeira, who played for the Atlanta Braves for portions of the 2007-08 seasons, was inducted into the Georgia Tech Sports Hall of Fame last fall. He helped Tech win 129 games between 1999 and 2001, including a 2000 season in which the Jackets won 50 games, captured the ACC Championship and hosted an NCAA Super Regional for the first time.

During his three years at Tech, Teixeira earned a long list of honors, including the 2000 National Player of the Year, 2000 ACC Player of the Year, 2000 consensus first-team All-American, 1999 National Freshman of the Year, 1999 ACC Rookie of the Year and 1999 second-team All-American. He was named to the All-ACC first team twice (1999, 2000).

Now in his 10th season in the Majors, Teixerira is a .281 lifetime hitter, with 314 home runs and 1,017 RBIs.

“Baseball is such an important part of so many of the communities we’re in - and if something’s important to our users, it’s important to Patch,” said Rachel Feddersen, Chief Content Officer at Patch. “Mark is a great representative of what Patch stands for. We’re thrilled to offer this exclusive opportunity for our communities’ baseball players, from little leaguers to college prospects, to interact with this World Series champion.”

Patch has long been a supporter of local athletics, having sponsored more than a hundred teams and sporting events in Patch towns in its 3-year history, including more than 60 little league teams.