A-Rod just one hit away as Yankees rip Marlins:
Walk in 9th leaves A-Rod 1 from 3,000
THE CROWD wanted to see history. Instead, it had to settle for a Yankees win.
Alex Rodriguez had two cracks at his 3,000th hit, but his milestone must wait at least one more day as A-Rod failed to get a hit in his final two trips to the plate Thursday night.
Carlos Beltran — who was booed loudly after stranding a pair of runners in scoring position in the fifth — delivered a two-run home run in the seventh that snapped a tie score. The Yankees broke it open with a four-run eighth, running away with a 9-4 win over the Marlins. “The crowd has been amazing all year,” A Rod said. “It was a great night, great win, I felt great and the fans were phenomenal.”
Many have viewed A-Rod’s statistical achievements as skewed thanks to his use of performance-enhancing drugs, but the crowd in the Bronx didn’t seem to care as it tried to will the designated hitter to No. 3,000.
If there were any questions as to whether Yankees fans would become wrapped up in Rodriguez’s pursuit of 3,000 hits, they were answered Thursday night when a crowd of 38,239 booed a no-name Marlins reliever off the mound for walking A-Rod in the eighth inning. “I don’t even know how to describe it,” Rodriguez said. “It feels great. Every time moments like that happen, I can just reflect on a year ago today, how great the fans have been to me. I think their support has actually helped me play a lot better.”
A-Rod’s first-inning single against Mat Latos gave him a chance to reach the milestone. His fifth-inning hit left him on the precipice of history, with him needing only one more good swing to join one of the most elite clubs in professional sports.
Asked about facing Rodriguez as he chases down history, Latos seemed less than impressed.
“It’s debatable,” Latos said after allowing hits Nos. 2,998 and 2,999. “Next question.”
The Yankees trailed by two runs in the sixth after CC Sabathia allowed three runs over six innings. Brett Gardner tied the game with a two-run homer to right off Latos in the sixth, ending the starter’s night.
An inning later, Beltran slugged a tworun homer to left center off lefty Mike Dunn, snapping the tie with his fifth home run of the season and first since May 30.
“Of course it feels good,” said Beltran, who was booed loudly after stranding runners at second and third to end the fifth. “Before that I had a few opportunities to try to get a run in and I didn’t do it so you’re just trying to put a good at-bat.”
A-Rod took his first crack at 3,000 in the sixth, hitting a sharp line drive to right center, where Giancarlo Stanton caught it to end the inning. “I thought it had a chance,” Rodriguez said. “Then it sailed right into Stanton’s glove.”
The crowd rose to its feet as A-Rod came to the plate again with one out in the eighth. Even Sabathia, who had been out of the game for two innings, emerged from the dugout to watch.
But righthander Sam Dyson clearly wanted no part of history. Dyson threw four straight inside fastballs to A-Rod, not coming anywhere close to the strike zone.
“I was kind of hoping to get it out of the way, but we’ll have to wait another day to see what happens,” Joe Girardi said. “He didn’t really have much of a chance in his last at-bat. But we’ll get an opportunity tomorrow.”
As A-Rod jogged to first base, the fans jeered the Marlins reliever, serenading him with some not-safe-for-this-newspaper words.
“I was just trying to get him out,” Dyson said. Asked about the vicious nature of the crowd’s chants, the reliever said, “It’s just noise.”
The angry crowd may have spooked Dyson, who went on to give up an RBI hit by Brian McCann, throw a wild pitch that resulted in another run, and then allow an RBI double by Chris Young that brought A-Rod home, giving the Yankees a comfortable cushion.
Justin Verlander starts for the Tigers on Friday, giving A-Rod a familiar foe to face as he tries to become the 29th player to reach 3,000 hits. Rodriguez is 10-for28 (.357) with four homers in his career against Verlander.
“I’ll think about it some,” Rodriguez said when asked if he would spend much of Thursday night focused on the looming milestone.
“But I’m in a good place.”