[新聞] A-Rod's on pace for record year

看板A-Rod作者subaru (June Rod A)時間18年前 (2007/06/19 19:16)推噓2(2推 0噓 0→)

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A-Rod's on pace for record year Tuesday, June 19, 2007 By PETE CALDERA STAFF WRITER http://0rz.tw/1d2Nz DENVER -- Alex Rodriguez doesn't need Coors Field, or the Mile High City's thin atmosphere to assist his swelling batting statistics. Take a look at where his 2007 projects: .315 batting average, 65 home runs, 177 RBI. Even with a mediocre month of May, when he drove in just 11 runs, A-Rod is on par for an all-time offensive season -- generating the kind of cartoon-like stats last seen in a bygone era and found in the yellowing pages of baseball history books. Between 1921 and 1937 there were nine instances when a player reached at least 170 RBI. Lou Gehrig is on that list three times. Hank Greenberg made it twice. Babe Ruth, Jimmie Foxx and Chuck Klein are there. And then there's Hack Wilson, whose 191 RBI in 1930 are the most in history, accomplished in a 154-game season. In the midst of a season that could shake up the record book, here's what you get from Rodriguez: "Right now, I feel pretty good. "Winning games, that's what it's all about," he said late Sunday night, after the Yankees had taken the Subway Series from the Mets – the fifth consecutive series victory for manager Joe Torre's club. Tonight's game against the Colorado Rockies begins a three-city road trip that also takes the Yankees to San Francisco this weekend. And just as Barry Bonds is closing in on Hank Aaron's all-time home run record of 755, A-Rod would be the main threat to Bonds' final home run total. Rodriguez, who turns 32 next month, has 491 career homers. "This doesn't mean anything if we go to Colorado and don't take care of business," said Rodriguez, who leads the majors with 27 homers and 73 RBI. For now, the Yankees are living in the moment. A-Rod has 28 RBI this month with 11 games to go. He drove in 34 in April. He also felt pretty good in May – so good that A-Rod believed that he was getting himself out, being overanxious at the plate. "I had to make the adjustment to take the walks and accept the walks, and not come out of my strike zone – because I felt so good," A-Rod said, sounding as if he'd borrowed from the Jason Giambi school of hitting philosophy. Talking about his bases-loaded walk in the first inning against Pittsburgh, A-Rod said he was "as proud of that at-bat as any home run." He's drawn eight walks in his past 11 games. It's certainly helped that Bobby Abreu has rediscovered his old patient style and opposite-field, line-drive swing. Derek Jeter is batting .343, Jorge Posada has stayed hot all year and Hideki Matsui and Robinson Cano have found a groove. "You've got to trust your teammates," Rodriguez said. "We've got a bunch of guys who can beat you in different ways." The Yankees' path to their 11th win in 12 games began Sunday night with A-Rod's two-run, first-inning homer off Orlando Hernandez. A-Rod finished with three RBI in the 8-2 victory over the Mets, and completed a tremendous individual homestand -- .371 average, five homers and 17 RBI. Among contemporary players, the last man to have as many as 165 RBI in a season was Manny Ramirez, who did it in 1999 with the Cleveland Indians. A-Rod's potentially epic season should eliminate any question about his winter status. With the ability to opt out of his deal at year's end, Rodriguez stands to parlay this season into another record-setting contract. But until he begins to alter his Octobers, A-Rod's summers won't carry the weight of those produced by Ruth and Gehrig. BRIEF: On the disabled list, and possibly out for the season, Giambi must decide by Wednesday whether to cooperate with former Sen. George Mitchell's investigation into steroid use in baseball or risk a suspension from baseball commissioner Bud Selig. Last month, Giambi told USA Today he was "wrong for doing that stuff" in an article about steroids. E-mail: caldera@northjersey.com Look out above! Alex Rodriguez's sizzling start to the season has A-Rod watchers looking at the best home run and runs-batted-in seasons by others: Home runs 1. Barry Bonds 73 (2001) 2. Mark McGwire 70 (1998) 3. Sammy Sosa 66 (1998) 4. Mark McGwire 65 (1999) 5. Sammy Sosa 64 (2001) RBI 1. Hack Wilson 191 (1930) 2. Lou Gehrig 184 (1931) 3. Hank Greenberg 183 (1937) 4. Jimmie Foxx 175 (1938) 5. Lou Gehrig 175 (1927) -- ※ 發信站: 批踢踢實業坊(ptt.cc) ◆ From: 123.195.68.175