Whatever schism supposedly existed between Alex Rodriguez and his teammates sure wasn’t there yesterday. Not after he blasted his milestone 500th home run, and the Yankees rushed out of the dugout en masse to swarm him at home plate.
Derek Jeter, whose relationship with Rodriguez has been rehashed repeatedly, was the first to hug him at the plate, but certainly not the only or the last. The Bombers mobbed him as if he’d just won a game, but his first-inning shot was as important as anything else that happened in this 16-8 rout of Kansas City.
Johnny Damon admitted he hadn’t been certain if Rodriguez was going to get that warm reception, but he was sure Rodriguez had deserved it.
“I wasn’t sure they were going to do that. I was going to do it because he’s meant a lot to me. He deserves to have that, and to have this team rally behind him,” said Damon, who grew up in Orlando and has known the Miami-bred Rodriguez since he was 14 years old. “I basically grew up with him. He’s come a long way, and he deserves every bit of the 500 home runs. I think there was a lot of relief. The changing of the balls with the umpires, the 3-1 sliders, all the tough pitches: I’m glad he got to jump on the first pitch and I’m glad it’s finally over.”
For Kyle Davies, it won’t be over for a while. His pitch and Rodriguez’s home run will get replayed over and over again.
“I was trying to get a double-play ball down and in, and the ball came back over the plate. That’s probably not the place to pitch him,” Davies said. “Not really. Nobody wants to give up a homer and be a part of history that way. You’re trying to win a ballgame. I was trying to throw a sinker down and in and it wasn’t down and in far enough.”
The first two players to greet Rodriguez – the youngest to ever hit 500 – at the plate were Jeter and Bobby Abreu, who’d both been on board for the milestone shot. After getting hugged by seemingly everybody in pinstripes, he blew kisses to the sellout crowd and pumped both of his fists aloft for his curtain call.
“It’s probably the only time in my life I’ll get to see something like that in person,” Phil Hughes said. “It’s awesome for him.”
Rodriguez plopped down in the dugout wearing an unmistakable expression of relief. Then he got hugs from Robinson Cano and Melky Cabrera, with the trio going through the same rapid-hop celebration they’ve been doing all season.
“It was ridiculous. It’s tough the do what he’s been able to do,” catcher Jorge Posada said. “I’m really happy for him. Everybody is really happy for him. I’m glad he got to do it in New York.”
