A-Rod homers in first at-bat
Alex Rodriguez hit a two-run homer on the second pitch of his spring-training debut as the Yankees lost 13-4 to a Phillies split squad Thursday in Tampa, Florida.
“It was surprising,” Rodriguez said. “It’s fun. That was the last thing [I expected]. Actually, I hadn’t taken a swing on live pitching. That was the first one.”
Rodriguez took a called third strike in the fourth inning and drew a fifth-inning walk from Mark Appel. Rodriguez hit .250 with 33 homers and 86 RBI last season, slumping during the final weeks of the season. He is 13 home runs shy of 700.
“I don’t have any distractions,” said Rodriguez, who came to spring training last year after sitting out the previous season while serving a drug-related suspension. “I’m clear-headed. I don’t think I can compare last spring to any spring in my career. There were so many question marks.”
Padres sign Thornton
Former White Sox reliever Matt Thornton agreed to aminor-league contract with the Padres, ending a frustrating offseason in which he wasn’t offered a guaranteed deal.
A 2010 All-Star with the White Sox, Thornton also has pitched for the Mariners, Red Sox and Yankees, mostly serving as a lefty specialist. He has made 60 or more appearances 10 times in his 12-year career.
In other news
Royals outfielder Jarrod Dyson is expected to miss the start of the season after straining his oblique while batting during the World Series champions’ spring-training opener.
Tigers center fielder Cameron Maybin is expected to miss four to six weeks with a broken left wrist. Maybin hit .267 with 10 home runs, 59 RBI and 23 stolen bases in 141 games with the Braves last season.
Brett Anderson, a projected starter in the Dodgers’ rotation, will undergo back surgery and is expected to miss three to five months.
Card experts in Southern California said they have verified the legitimacy and seven-figure total value of seven identical Ty Cobb cards from the printing period of 1909 to 1911. Before the recent find, there were only about 15 known to still exist.