Yankees lose in A-rod’s return
CHICAGO — Alex Rodriguez blooped a single into left field in his first at-bat of the season, hours after being hit with a long suspension.
It was a nice start for the embattled slugger, but that was it. The finish belonged to the Chicago White Sox.
Rodriguez went 1-for-4 in his first game for New York, but the White Sox beat the struggling Yankees 8-1 on Monday night to snap a 10-game losing streak.
Rodriguez was suspended through 2014 by Major League Baseball in the Biogenesis case, a punishment he is appealing.
“I just hope that there’s a happy ending there somewhere,” he said.
His punishment clearly was the biggest story on a day when New York’s Derek Jeter went back on the disabled list because of a strained right calf and Andy Pettitte (7-9) got knocked out early. Alex Rios drove in four runs, Alexei Ramirez added four hits and Jose Quintana (6-3) pitched into the seventh for the White Sox.
Was it a good day for baseball?
“A little bit of both,” Jeter said. “I don’t know if you can say it’s a good day anytime you’re talking about a negative, negativity. I understand what baseball is trying to do, they’re cracking down on players.”
Rodriguez, meanwhile, is digging in, ready to go toe to toe with MLB.
“We’re just getting started in this process,” he said. “But for me, personally, I just want to get back to baseball, playing hard and playing with a lot of intensity. I just want to see what our team has to offer.”
At 38 and coming back from hip surgery, he said he’s fighting for his life. He was welcomed back with the same sort of greeting he got on the road in the past, a series of boos and jeers.
The crowd at U.S. Cellular Field booed the threetime MVP during pregame warmups and introductions. When he stepped to the plate in the second inning for his first at-bat of the season, they could have drowned out a jet.
They weren’t feeling any better after Rodriguez dropped a leadoff single into shallow left on the third pitch. He moved to third with no outs on Vernon Wells’ double but was stranded.
Rodriguez flied out in his second and third atbats and handled a few grounders at third, getting booed every time he stepped to the plate or touched the ball.
Jays 3, Mariners 1
SEATTLE — Mark DeRosa’s pinch-hit, two-run single in the eighth inning gave the Toronto Blue Jays and R.A. Dickey a 3-1 victory over the Seattle Mariners.
Dickey (9-11) went 72⁄ 3 innings, allowing one run on eight hits. The knuckleballer struck out five and walked two to earn his first win since July 1.