by Max Schneidman
Alex Rodriguez’s career has been filled with triumph and controversy, from his Bronx debut in 1994 to his impending Yankees finale Friday. Home runs, steroids, wrist slaps and everything intertwined in the legacy of A-Rod has painted one of the more intriguing American sports figures of the 21st century.
Here’s a look at his 10 best moments from his entire 22-year career, including his 12 seasons in pinstripes.
10. 2001 All-Star Game switch with Cal Ripken Jr.
It was Ripken’s final All-Star Game and the Orioles legend was slated to start at third base with a 19-year-old Rodriguez set to start at shortstop in his first Midsummer Classic. When the two, 21 years apart, trotted out to the left side of the infield, Rodriguez all but forced Ripken over to short so the Iron Man could play at his trademark position.
9. First home run
On June 12, 1995, A-Rod blasted his first career home run to left-center field off future Yankees teammate Tom Gordon, then a reliever for the Royals. Rodriguez played in just 17 games in 1994 with the Mariners and 48 in 1995, during which he hit four more home runs.
8. Home run on first pitch back from injury
Rodriguez showed up fashionably late to the 2009 season, missing a month as he recovered from hip surgery, hitting a three-run homer on the first pitch he saw. It gave the Yankees a first-inning cushion against the Orioles and temporarily halted the chatter about steroids, which dominated spring training after Sports Illustrated reported he had failed a 2003 drug test.
7. Passing Willie Mays
Rodriguez surpassed Mays for fourth on the all-time home-run list on May 7, 2015, when he sent a 1-1 pitch over the fence in left-center for his 661st homer. He trotted around the bases with a small smirk on his face and came out of the dugout for a curtain call. Rodriguez still sits in fourth place, 18 homers behind Babe Ruth and four away from 700.
6. Walk-off grand slam against the Orioles
Twelve days before a walk-off against the Indians, Rodriguez blasted a grand slam into the center-field grandstand. With the Yankees down 7-6 and Rodriguez down to his last strike, he took Chris Ray deep to give the Bombers a 10-7 win on the 14th grand slam of his career on April 7, 2007.
5. Third MVP award
Rodriguez absolutely blew away the field in 2007 after he hit 54 home runs and drove in 156 runs. He hit .314 with a .645 slugging percentage, beating second-place finisher Magglio Ordonez by 124 points. The Yankees fell short despite Rodriguez’s torrid year, falling in the ALDS after failing to win the AL East.
4. Ten RBIs vs. the Angels
Rodriguez hit three home runs in the first four innings off Bartolo Colon in an April 2005 game en route to a 4-for-5, 10-RBI night in the Yankees 12-4 win. He hit everything but a solo home run, his final long ball a grand slam in the fourth that gave New York a 10-2 lead. Only five players have driven in more runs in a single game in baseball history, and A-Rod is one of only two to register double-digit RBI games this century.
3. 3,000th hit
Rodriguez became the 29th player to reach 3,000 hits when he took Justin Verlander deep on June 19, 2015. He sent the first pitch of his first-inning at-bat into the right-center field bleachers to give the Yankees a 1-0 lead. The ball was eventually returned to Rodriguez.
2. 600th home run
On Aug. 4, 2010, Rodriguez belted his 600th home run in the first inning against the Blue Jays, becoming the youngest player to reach the milestone. He was the seventh player to reach the 600 HR mark and nobody has reached it since.
1. 2009 World Series title
During Sunday’s press conference, Brian Cashman removed his 2009 World Series ring and placed it on the table in front of him. He said he wouldn’t have the ring if not for Rodriguez, whose postseason run was highlighted by a game-tying two-run homer in the ninth inning of Game 2 in the ALDS and a game-tying solo shot in the 11th inning in Game 2 of the ALCS. In 15 playoff games, Rodriguez hit .365 with six home runs and 18 RBIs.
No comments:
Post a Comment