Boo-birds rip into A-rod for home return
NEW YORK — Another blown save by Mariano Rivera. A bunch of boos for Alex Rodriguez. A bevy of runners left on base.
All that, and still a win for the New York Yankees.
Rodriguez got jeered in his return home and the Yankees overcame Miguel Cabrera’s crushing home run off Rivera, beating Detroit 4-3 in 10 innings Friday night and snapping the Tigers’ 12-game winning streak.
“Well, I hope it jump-starts it a lot,” Yankees manager Joe Girardi said. “We need to win series. We need to win a lot of games moving forward.”
Cabrera temporarily saved the Tigers by hitting a twoout, two-run homer in the ninth off Rivera that made it 3-all. Cabrera connected while still hobbling after fouling two balls off his left shin earlier in the at-bat.
The reigning Triple Crown winner vs. the all-time saves leader made for great baseball theatre, not that it was a setting Cabrera enjoyed.
“No, we want to have the lead in the ninth. You don’t want to face Mariano,” he said.
Cabrera’s shin was bandaged after the game and he limped through the locker room. Banged up lately, Cabrera said he hoped to play Saturday afternoon.
Brett Gardner grounded an RBI single with the bases loaded and two outs in the 10th to end New York’s four-game losing streak.
The AL Central-leading Tigers were trying for their best string since 1934, when they tied the team record of 14 straight wins. That run ended across the street at the old Yankee Stadium when Babe Ruth and Lou Gehrig each drove in runs to down Detroit.
Gardner singled just past Cabrera’s dive at third base. Al Alburquerque (2-3) took the loss and Shawn Kelley (4-1) got the win.
Austin Jackson got three doubles and four hits overall for Detroit. His one-out double began Detroit’s comeback in the ninth.
With some scattered fans wearing No. 13 jerseys, Rodriguez finished 0 for 4 in his first game at Yankee Stadium since last October. The sellout crowd of 46,545 let him have it the whole night, from the moment the lineups were announced to the time he looked at a slider for his third strikeout of the game.
Rodriguez left the ballpark without talking to the media.
“Alex has had to deal with stuff before. He’s been booed before. He knows what he has to do and I expect him to do it,” Girardi said.