ALEX Rodriguez hates disrup tions in his routine. He arrives early at the ballpark just so he can comfortably go through his pre-batting practice regimen that includes on-field conditioning exercises and indoor hitting drills.
He has labeled these various elements – everything from his work with a medicine ball to hitting soft toss – his “vitamins” because he takes them daily and they are good for him. That is why he was so annoyed yesterday when, against his wishes, the Yankees ordered him to Columbia-Presbyterian for precautionary X-rays on his injured right ankle.
That disrupted his vitamin intake.
“I was very fired up with that,” Rodriguez said of leaving at 3:30 p.m. “It messed with my routine.”
Yet in 2007, nothing can defeat the self-proclaimed “Routine Guy.” Not playing for a new contract. Not a sprained ankle. Not even returning from an MRI exam just 77 minutes before the first pitch.
Rodriguez talked his way into the lineup and responded with something out of the Kirk Gibson playbook and something probably already on endless loop as a Classic on YES. In the seventh inning – an inning that just might have put the Yankees into the playoffs and certainly settled all AL MVP debate – Rodriguez hit two homers to pass one Hall of Famer (Mel Ott) on the all-time list and tie two others (Ernie Banks and Eddie Mathews) at 512. Those were the final totals for those legends. Rodriguez turned 32 in July.
“His whole career is special,” Joe Torre said.
And this is the most special year. Rodriguez reached 48 homers as a Yankee for a second time. You might have heard of the other Yankees who have done that – Lou Gehrig, Mickey Mantle and Babe Ruth. Now every time A-Rod homers, he will break his own single-season team record by a righty batter. Hell, he might get to 60.
Everything seems possible this year for Rodriguez, who is having the best salary drive ever. He wore a garish green shirt after the game, and that was the right color. But it is unfair to distract from last night by making it just about A-Rod‘s opt-out and all the money Scott Boras is going to get his most famous client. In the moment – with an ankle he termed “60 percent” and playing in a game he said he would not have attempted if it were April or May – Rodriguez pushed the Yanks to a 10-2 victory over the Mariners. A loss would have meant just a one-game wild-card lead. Instead, the Yanks lead by three.
And don’t let the final score fool you. When Rodriguez led off the seventh, the Yanks trailed 2-1 and had two hits off Jarrod Washburn, both by Jose Molina. Washburn had 10 career starts against the Yanks and had never permitted more than three earned runs. His 2.48 ERA was the best among active pitchers against the Yanks (minimum 65 innings).
Rodriguez and Derek Jeter were the lone Yanks with solid numbers against Washburn. That is why Torre wanted A-Rod in the lineup. Still, the manager needed convincing.
“I told him I can give him quality at-bats,” Rodriguez said.
These were pretty quality. A-Rod darted a full-count Washburn fastball to left to tie Ott and the score, and ignite the Yanks. By the time, Rodriguez batted again in the seventh, the Yanks led 7-2, Washburn was long gone and Jeter was on third. One night earlier, A-Rod had mesmerized onlookers with the rarity of going into the left-field upper deck at Yankee Stadium. His blast off of Brandon Morrow was not as majestic, but was equally awe-inspiring considering all the accompanying storylines.
Even Jeter, hardly the president of the A-Rod fan club, simply stood at home plate applauding as Rodriguez gingerly circled the bases. What else was there to do? This felt like a candidate had won every primary on Super Tuesday as Rodriguez sealed his second MVP as a Yankee and third overall. Ichiro Suzuki, Magglio Ordonez, Vlad Guerrero, thank you for playing.
It is clear this is A-Rod‘s season. He can thrive in New York, with a heavily taped ankle and without his “vitamins.” In fact, Rodriguez is the Yankees’ cure in 2007. Put him in the lineup and, generally, the Yanks feel better the next morning.