For one of the few times in his major league career, Francisco Rodriguez will be home for the start of the postseason instead of experiencing it.
Five playoff appearances in seven seasons have a way of spoiling you. Rodriguez began bracing himself weeks ago for a vacation that will begin once the Mets play their regular-season finale on Oct. 4. But that won’t make the last 11/2 weeks any easier for the All-Star closer.
“It’s just the kind of year you have to learn from,” Rodriguez said before allowing a ninth-inning run in the Mets’ 3-1 loss to Atlanta at Citi Field. “You learn from what you did, what you did wrong and move on.”
Rodriguez has 33 saves, a far cry from the 62 he recorded last season in establishing a major league record. Mostly, it’s been a game of sit-and-wait, hoping the Mets can somehow establish a ninth-inning lead to provide Rodriguez with a save opportunity.
The best thing Rodriguez can say about 2009? It’s almost over. His former team, the Angels, is headed toward another AL West title. Rodriguez is preparing for next year.
“It’s been difficult for him, no doubt about that,” manager Jerry Manuel said. “He didn’t get the amount of opportunities that he’s gotten in the last couple of years. But it was an opportunity for him to get acclimated to New York, and that’s going to benefit us in the long run.”
What will Rodriguez do this offseason?
“Besides, rest, rest and rest?” K-Rod asked. “I’ll rest and see how my body responds. I’ve been healthy all year and that’s something I will always look for in the spring, stay healthy all year. I feel real good about it.”
Rodriguez isn’t thrilled with his six blown saves and 3.15 ERA — he’s only once finished a season with an ERA above 3.00. But he isn’t about to search for an excuse.
For instance, you will never hear him say he regrets the fact he represented Venezuela in the World Baseball Classic last March, increasing his spring workload.
“That’s one thing I’m really disappointed with is players blaming it on [the WBC] — people making excuses when they have a horrible year or they are not performing the way they should,” Rodriguez said. “If you prepare yourself the right way, nothing is going to affect you. I really hate those guys, they use the WBC as an excuse and it shouldn’t be like that.”
As the cross-town Yankees contemplate a postseason that could include an ALCS showdown against the Angels, Rodriguez says he is ambivalent about the possibility.
Nevertheless, he took a minute yesterday to recall what has made the Angels successful against the Yanks over the years. That included AL Division Series victories over the Yankees in 2002 and ‘05.
“We played with a lot of confidence against them,” Rodriguez said. “A lot of people said, ‘Oh, the New York Yankees.’ We saw it as another ballclub that we needed to go out there and beat. We didn’t give them that much credit as a lot of people do.
“The Yankees have a tremendous lineup, a tremendous ballclub. But when I was there we didn’t see it that way. We went out there and beat them. We pitched well against them and did little things to win ballgames, moving runners over, stealing bases making routine plays. That’s how we got them.”
mpuma@nypost.com
