[新聞] A-Rod king of Yanks' world

看板A-Rod作者PerryRod (Partridge)時間18年前 (2007/09/11 00:27)推噓0(0推 0噓 0→)

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文章來源：http://tinyurl.com/268qv5 A-Rod king of Yanks' world Sunday, September 9, 2007 By TARA SULLIVAN STAFF WRITER KANSAS CITY, Mo. -- Alex Rodriguez stood inside the visitors' clubhouse Friday night and insisted, with a straight face, that if not for the contribution of a surprising number of rookies this season, the Yankees would be "in third or fourth place right now." Come on now, Alex. We all know the truth of the 2007 baseball season. Without your bat, the Yankees wouldn't be anywhere near the playoffs, wouldn't be anywhere close to holding the wild-card lead that is currently in their grasp, would, in fact, be far lower than their current second-place AL East perch. Rodriguez proved that much again Saturday, his two monstrous home runs giving him 51 on the season while helping the Yankees crush the Royals, 11-5. Though Andy Pettitte earned his 13th win, Johnny Damon provided the Yanks' first blast of power with a two-run home run in the third and Wilson Betemit iced the blowout with a three-run shot in the sixth. It was A-Rod's two home runs in between that had tongues wagging in Kansas City. The first came in the fourth inning, traveling 416 feet to clear the center-field fence. The second led off the sixth, just skipping over the left-field fence. Together, they made Rodriguez the first Bronx Bomber since Mickey Mantle and Roger Maris to reach the magical 50 barrier. "That's amazing considering that's what this organization is known for," manager Joe Torre said, his head still shaking in awe. Torre let his slugger bat one more time in the eighth, but regretted the decision when Rodriguez was hit in the left elbow. Rodriguez left the game for a pinch-runner, insisting after the game he was fine. The news was not so good for teammate Derek Jeter, however, whose painful right knee was the only dark cloud on an otherwise clear night. Jeter left the game in the bottom of the fifth – he grounded back to the pitcher in the top of the fifth – after experiencing stiffness because of irritation in his patellar tendon. "It's something that's not going to go away without shutting it down, but it's tough to imagine playing without him," Torre said. The manager vowed to give Jeter today's series finale off, and was hopeful that an additional day off Monday would allow Jeter to feel better when the Toronto series begins Tuesday. "It just looked like he couldn't move very well," said Torre, who said Royals team physician Tom Phillips checked Jeter late in the game. "He gave me that famous, 'I'll be all right,' but I said finally, 'That's not good enough.' " Everything A-Rod does lately is great. He's hit 50 homers twice before, but both on a bad Texas team. "It's been a magical season so far but to be winning games in the middle of a pennant race makes it so much more," Rodriguez said. "No doubt this is the most fun I've had. I said in spring training it takes some people three or four years, some one or two, but it's taken me four full years to get comfortable in New York and to really enjoy every aspect of the game and my teammates and also to laugh at myself a little bit." His stats are no laughing matter. A-Rod now holds the major league record for home runs by a third baseman with 49 (he hit two as a designated hitter Wednesday night at Yankee Stadium). He already holds the mark for a shortstop (57 in 2002), becoming the first to do it at two positions. With six home runs in his last four games, 12 in his last 18, he has the most homers by a Yankee in a single season since Maris and Mantle in '61. As he barrels toward a third American League MVP award and an epic contract extension – only Jimmie Foxx, Joe DiMaggio, Yogi Berra and Mantle have ever won three AL MVPs – there appears no limit to where this season can end. "I would settle for a World Championship," Rodriguez said. -- Drive to my World: http://www.wretch.cc/album/album.php?id=rodvader&book=19 -- ※ 發信站: 批踢踢實業坊(ptt.cc) ◆ From: 61.229.28.95