[新聞] Alex Rodriguez wants to carry Yankees in October
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Alex Rodriguez wants to carry Yankees in October
BY MARK FEINSAND
DAILY NEWS SPORTS WRITER
Tuesday, September 11th 2007, 1:29 PM
Babe Ruth. Mickey Mantle. Roger Maris. Alex Rodriguez.
That's the entire list of players who have hit 50 or more home runs in a
Yankee uniform. Rodriguez's 52 homers this year are tied for the
seventh-highest total in club history, and with 19 games left in the regular
season, he figures to climb higher on that list.
"I used to marvel at watching Bernie Williams pass Hall of Famers in the
different categories (on the Yankees' all-time lists)," Joe Torre said. "What
Alex has done in a short period of time is amazing."
A-Rod has used the word "magical" to describe his season, though Doug
Mientkiewicz doesn't believe magic has anything to do with it.
"He's like a machine; what he's doing now, it's not normal," said
Mientkiewicz, who has known A-Rod since they were high school teammates. "He
never stops trying to get better. That's what makes him so great. It's fun to
watch."
In addition to his 52 homers, Rodriguez has 140 RBI and 132 runs scored,
putting him on pace for one of the best seasons in Yankees history. After he
homered in his fifth straight game on Sunday, A-Rod admitted that even he
glimpses at the scoreboard once in a while to see his gaudy numbers.
"I've peeked up there a couple of times and smiled," Rodriguez said. "You
have to enjoy it a little bit and keep it moving."
The Bombers' single-season gold standard is Ruth's 1921 campaign, when the
Babe hit .378 with 59 homers, 170 RBI and 177 runs scored. Rodriguez is on
pace to hit .318 with 59 homers, 159 RBI and 150 runs.
Those totals aren't quite Ruthian, but they would place A-Rod in the top 10
on the club's single-season list in each of the latter three categories. The
last player to drive in at least 140 runs for the Yankees was Joe DiMaggio,
who had 155 RBI in 1948.
A-Rod's 52 blasts already are the most ever by a Yankees righthanded hitter,
and he stands just six away from tying Hank Greenberg's AL record of 58 for a
righthanded hitter, and nine away from Roger Maris' AL mark of 61.
"It says a lot about the three guys hitting in front of me and the protection
I'm getting behind me," Rodriguez said. "The reason I'm getting pitched to is
those guys behind me; they carry a lot of respect."
A-Rod hit .565 (13-for-23) with seven homers, 11 RBI and nine runs last week,
picking up his third AL Player of the Week award of the season.
For Rodriguez to be posting numbers like this isn't unusual; this is his
third season of at least 50 home runs and he has driven in as many as 142.
But his attitude has changed after a disappointing 2006 season, when he hit
.290 with 35 homers and 121 RBI. "We all talked after Game 4 in Detroit,"
A-Rod said, referring to last October's division series in which he went
1-for-14. "I pretty much knew I had a checklist of things to do, so I went to
work on them right away."
That meant grueling offseason workouts, sessions that Mientkiewicz witnessed
on several occasions. Rodriguez, who has always been obsessive about his
preparation, took his training program to a new level.
"I knew this winter that he was a man on a mission," Mientkiewicz said. "He
had a scowl on his face all winter. He wanted to prove a lot of people wrong,
and he's doing that. He remembers the feeling he had last year, and he pushed
himself so hard to do this. I think if you asked him, this is what he
envisioned."
Rodriguez came to spring training with a new approach, not physically but
mentally. He spoke about his relationship with Derek Jeter and how they no
longer are best of friends, and addressed his contract situation and his
opportunity to become a free agent after the season. He got all distractions
out of the way.
"Ability-wise, he's the same, but he seems to be having fun," Torre said.
"Last year, I think it was a lot of work for him. "Whatever he thought about
or talked to somebody about during the offseason, he certainly came to spring
training different."
Rodriguez's season ultimately will be judged by his performance in October,
assuming the Yankees get there. His last two postseasons have been atrocious,
as he's gone a combined 3-for-29 during the Yankees' two first-round exits.
Another dismal postseason will render what likely will be another MVP season
as an afterthought, but Mientkiewicz believes that A-Rod is ready to step up
next month and put the past two years behind him.
"He'll go down as the best player in the history of the game because he has
the ability, he works his rear end off, and mentally, he challenges himself
like nobody else," Mientkiewicz said. "He never wants to go through what he
went through last year again. The game's not that easy, but he's making it
look easy. It's ridiculous."
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