Former Yankees star Mark Teixeira endorsed Republican Saritha Komatireddy for New York attorney general, saying the state needs a leader who puts public safety first.

In a video message released Monday, the 2009 World Series champion told New Yorkers he is supporting Komatireddy against two-term Democratic incumbent Letitia James, framing the race around safety and results rather than politics.

The New York Post reported that Teixeira, now a Republican congressional candidate in Texas’ 21st House District, used the endorsement to press a clear priority for the Empire State.

Teixeira opened the clip with a direct pitch.

"Hey, New Yorkers, Mark Teixeira here. I’m supporting Saritha Komatireddy to be the next attorney general of the State of New York,"

He then spelled out why he wants her in the job.

"New York needs an attorney general who will put public safety over politics and make sure New York State is one of the most prosperous, best places to live in the country,"

He closed with a call to action and a blessing for the country.

"So please vote for Saritha Komatireddy. God bless you, and God bless America."

Teixeira built that credibility in pinstripes. He spent the bulk of a 15-year career with the Yankees after earlier stops with the Texas Rangers, Atlanta Braves, and Los Angeles Angels. He won five Gold Gloves, three Silver Slugger awards, made three All-Star teams, and took Rookie of the Year in 2003. In the 2009 championship season, the last World Series title for the Bronx Bombers, he hit 39 home runs and drove in 122 runs as a switch-hitting first baseman.

Komatireddy, 42, is a former federal prosecutor running as the Republican challenger. She answered the endorsement by tying Teixeira’s New York years to the city’s baseline expectations.

"Mark Teixeira spent eight seasons in pinstripes, and he knows what this city is when it works: safe walking, a subway people aren’t afraid to ride, neighborhoods where families stay,"

She then drew a hard line against the incumbent’s record.

"He’s right that public safety has to come before politics. For seven years, Letitia James has had it backwards. I’m grateful for Mark’s support, and I’ll do what he did at first base: show up every day and get the job done well."

That public-safety contrast has already defined the contest, including when the GOP challenger pressed James on bail and crime in a recent debate.

James’ campaign did not answer the safety argument head-on. An unnamed spokesperson instead tried to change the subject to fundraising.

“Why isn’t she touting her maxed out contribution from Ohio tennis extraordinaire Vivek Ramaswamy?” the spokesperson said, referring to the Republican now running for Ohio governor.

The jab did not address Teixeira’s point about order and prosperity, or Komatireddy’s claim that James has spent seven years putting politics first. It also left voters with a side dispute about a contribution rather than a defense of the incumbent’s record on crime and neighborhoods.

Polling in the race has already tightened, with coverage showing James’ lead over Komatireddy shrinking as the campaign wears on.

Teixeira’s entry adds a recognizable New York sports name to a statewide fight that turns on whether the attorney general’s office will treat street safety as the top job or as a secondary talking point. Komatireddy is betting that voters still remember what a functioning city feels like, the walk home, the subway ride, the neighborhood that holds families, and that they will reward a prosecutor who says those basics come before politics.

James, the two-term Democrat, remains the incumbent with the machinery of office behind her. Her campaign’s early reply to a Yankees champion’s endorsement was a donor swipe, not a safety plan. That choice leaves the core charge on the table: that the state’s top law-enforcement lawyer has had the priorities reversed for years.

Separate scrutiny of the attorney general’s office has followed other high-profile matters, including when James faltered in debate under attacks branding her a political actor rather than a neutral enforcer.

Further questions have dogged how Albany assigns sensitive cases, from the moment Hochul handed a Cornell fraternity probe to James to later moves over outside counsel and recusal demands.

None of that history erases the simple transaction on the table this week. A former Yankees first baseman who helped deliver the last Bronx title told New Yorkers to hire Komatireddy. She accepted the endorsement by promising to show up and do the job. James’ side answered with a crack about Vivek Ramaswamy’s check.

Voters can weigh the baseball résumé, the prosecutor’s pledge, and the incumbent’s deflection on their own. Public safety either comes first, or it does not.

New Yorkers who want an attorney general focused on safe streets, not political score-settling, now have a clear signal from a champion who once manned first base in the Bronx.