Notwithstanding an injury that left some people wondering, Alex Rodriguez helped power the Yankees to another victory over the Mariners, and a three game lead in the Wild Card race:
NEW YORK (AP) — Alex Rodriguez limped his way into Yankee Stadium, then got angry when the team sent him to a hospital for tests on his sore right ankle.
Not only did he play Wednesday, he had a night befitting legends.
Rodriguez talked his way into the lineup and became the first Yankees player in 30 years to homer two times in one inning, connecting twice in an eight-run seventh to lead New York over Seattle 10-2. The Yankees opened a three-game lead in the AL wild-card race over the Mariners, who lost for the 11th time in 12 games.
“Kind of messed with my routine a little bit,” Rodriguez said. “I wasn’t very fired up about that.”
And, as Peter Abraham notes, A-Rod is on the verge of making Yankee history:
Alex Rodriguez has 48 homers, 125 runs scored and 134 RBI. It seems pretty safe to say that he’s going to end up with at least 50 homers, 130 runs and 140 RBI.
In the history of the Yankees, only Babe Ruth (1921, ‘27 and ‘28) and Roger Maris (1961) have ever done that.
The Rodriguez investment is just starting to payoff. Hopefully, Steinbrenner, Cashman, et al will see that and do what ever they can to keep this guy in pinstripes.
