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 Rodriguez got both Thursday after moving past Hall of Famer Willie
Mays into sole possession of fourth place on baseball's career home
run list with No. 661 in New York's 4-3 victory over the Baltimore
Orioles.
Rodriguez received his ovation from the 39,816 fans after driving a
1-1 changeup with two outs in the third from Baltimore right-hander
Chris Tillman well beyond the center field fence, giving New York a
3-2 lead.
As he rounded the bases, Rodriguez pumped his fist, the scoreboard
gave a brief acknowledgement, and the controversial slugger was
given a standing ovation and greeted with handshakes and high-fives
from teammates in the dugout.
"Nobody will ever pass Willie Mays," Rodriguez said. "I talked about
him being my father's favorite player. There's only one Willie Mays,
not only what he did on the field but what he meant off the field.
He's a legend, and he's also a role model for all of us."
The cheers continued for a few more minutes, and when first baseman
Mark Teixeira stepped out of the batter's box, Rodriguez took his
curtain call, emerging from the dugout and waving to fans with both
hands above his head.
"It's been a long time," Rodriguez said. "I surely thought the days
of curtain calls for me were long gone."
New York manager Joe Girardi said, "There's been other guys that
went through suspensions and their troubles that have done things at
times that have turned the fans off. When you're productive, you
kind of re-earn their respect and they pull for you."
Rodriguez hit his seventh home run and drove in his 18th run since
returning from last year's historic 162-game suspension for being
involved in the Biogenesis performance-enhancing-drug scandal. The
homer and RBIs totals rank second on the Yankees. In a year when
many did not know what to expect on the field and from the fans,
both aspects are going decently for Rodriguez, whose next milestone
is 3,000 hits, which he is 38 away from reaching.
"All of this is pretty crazy," Rodriguez said. "A year ago, I never
thought I'd get a curtain call or be hitting in the middle of the
lineup for the New York Yankees helping our team win."
"He's meant a lot," Girardi said. "We started hitting him I think
sixth when the season started because we weren't exactly sure what
we were going to get, and he kept moving his way up. He's done a
really job in the three-hole, getting on base, driving in
baserunners, hitting home runs for us, scoring runs."
If things went differently Thursday, Rodriguez might have had No.
662. In the first inning, he hit a deep drive, but Baltimore right
fielder Delmon Young made a leaping catch just in front of the
fence, and Rodriguez settled for a sacrifice fly instead of a
three-run home run.
"I didn't think it was gone when he hit it because he kept kind of
going back, going back," Rodriguez. "Then I thought it had a shot,
and then he looked like Roberto Clemente."
Rodriguez's home run and sacrifice fly helped the Yankees win for
the 12th time in 16 games. Teixeira drove in the other two runs with
a single and a double.
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Designated hitter Jimmy Paredes and catcher Caleb Joseph hit solo
home runs for Baltimore. Joseph also had an RBI double, but first
baseman Chris Davis struck out four times and shortstop J.J. Hardy
went 0-for-4 in his season debut.
Both starting pitchers lasted into the sixth inning but constantly
had runners on base.
New York's Nathan Eovaldi (3-0) remained unbeaten despite allowing
three runs and six hits in 5 2/3 innings. Tillman (2-4) also went 5
2/3 innings. He gave up four runs and 10 hits, one shy of his career
high.
"I don't like it," Tillman said of surrendering Rodriguez's blast.
"Any time I give up a home run, I don't like it. He's one of the
all-time greats. You've got to respect it. Any time you make a
mistake to that guy, he's going to make you pay, and he pretty much
did twice tonight."
Yankees left-hander Justin Wilson got four outs, Dellin Betances
pitched a hitless eighth, and Andrew Miller struck out two in the
ninth for his 12th save.
Paredes gave the Orioles a 1-0 lead with a solo shot in the top of
the first. Rodriguez's sacrifice fly forged a 1-1 tie, and
Teixeira's run-scoring single gave the Yankees a 2-1 lead after the
first.
Baltimore tied it again when Joseph hit his fourth home run, but
Rodriguez's milestone home run regained the one-run lead for New
York. The Orioles tied it again on a double by Joseph in the fifth.
Teixeira roped a tiebreaking double with one out in the fifth.
NOTES: New York RHP Masahiro Tanaka threw 50 pitches at 60 feet in
his first activity since being placed on the disabled list with
right wrist tendinitis and a right forearm contusion. The Yankees
said he will do the same before Friday's game. ... New York LHP
Chris Capuano (groin) pitched 4 2/3 innings and allowed one run in a
rehab appearance for Triple-A Scranton/Wilkes-Barre. ... Orioles INF
Ryan Flaherty is expected to return from the disabled list Friday.
Flaherty, out since April 24 with a groin injury, took pregame
batting practice. ... To activate SS J.J. Hardy from the DL, the
Orioles placed INF Everth Cabrera on the DL with a left foot injury.
Cabrera was hit on the foot by a pitch during Wednesday's game
against the New York Mets. After the game, Cabrera said he would
undergo an MRI exam Friday.
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