Bronx, NY -- (Sports Network) - The New York Yankees made it official on Friday and signed first baseman Richie Sexson to a contract for the remainder of the season.

The slugger finished 1-for-3 in his New York debut with an RBI single in his first at-bat during the Yankees 7-1 win over Oakland.

Sexson was released by the Seattle Mariners last week. In 74 games, he was batting just .218 with 11 homers and 30 runs batted in. This was his fourth season with the Mariners, who went through a front-office shakeup in mid-June.

Following an injury-plagued 2004 season with Arizona, Sexson signed with Seattle. In his first season with the Mariners he belted 39 homers and drove in 121 runs, then followed that with a solid 34-homer campaign in '06.

However, in 2007 he hit 21 homers and watched his batting average plummet to .205. When he got off to a similar start this year, the new brass had seen enough and placed him on waivers.

New York hopes that Sexson's presence in the lineup against left-handed pitchers will be of service to the club. He has hit .344 against lefties this season and could play an important platoon role at first base with Jason Giambi.

Selected by Cleveland in the 24th round of the 1993 draft, Sexson has appeared in 1,345 games over 12 seasons with the Indians, Milwaukee, Arizona and Seattle. He has a career .261 batting average with 305 homers and 937 RBI.