CHICAGO – Alex Rodriguez is an important piece of 2004 Baseball Armageddon that opens Chapter Two in The Bronx tonight with the first of three games between the Red Sox and Yankees.
Yet for Rodriguez, the series between blood rivals presents several opportunities. Can he atone for a brutal series last weekend at Fenway Park when he went 1-for-17 overall, 0-for-6 in the clutch and committed an error as the Yankees dropped three of four to the Red Sox? Will this be A-Rod’s coming out party, where he crushes homers and is begged for a curtain call? Or is A-Rod about to hear the same Stadium boos that Jason Giambi was smothered in during the early part of 2001?
Rodriguez understands all of this, so he knows there are several ways this weekend can go. Even if he won’t admit it.
“I just want to stay in the rhythm that I have found here,” A-Rod said before last night’s Yankees-White Sox tilt at U.S. Cellular Field. Since leaving Boston, A-Rod was 3-for-9 with a homer. “I am not going to be anxious. All I can do is take one pitch at a time and continue to build.”
Deep down, Stadium denizens can’t wait to drown A-Rod in cheers. Yet, how many of New York’s stars have never been booed? Derek Jeter and Mariano Rivera come to mind. So do Don Mattingly and Doc Gooden. What happens tonight if Rodriguez pops up in the first inning with Jeter and Bernie Williams on base? We know what will happen if he homers.
Of course, there is a lot more to Red Sox-Yankees at the Stadium.
After losing three of four in New England’s living room even though the Red Sox didn’t have Nomar Garciaparra or Trot Nixon (they won’t play this weekend either), Joe Torre is looking at this weekend’s three games as an exam.
“This is the first test to see how we respond to getting cuffed around last weekend,” Torre said. “[Tonight] is obviously a key for us to get off on the right track. The only way you can do that is control the game through pitching.”
Ah, pitching. Tim Wakefield might not frustrate the Yankees with his knuckleball like he did in last year’s ALCS and last Friday night at Fenway. But Pedro Martinez, who didn’t work last weekend, will Sunday. That, however, isn’t the Yankees’ biggest fear.
No, a team that will either start Donovan Osborne or bring back Javier Vazquez on three days’ rest to face Martinez on Sunday, has its fingers firmly crossed that Mel Stottlemyre straightened out Jose Contreras during a bullpen session Wednesday.
If not, the Red Sox could batter the $32 million investment tonight for the second time inside a week. On Sunday, he was staked to a 7-1 lead after 2 ½ innings and had to be removed in the third.
“If Boston had lost three of four they would have said what we said, that it’s early,” GM Brian Cashman said. “The bottom line is that we want to win every game regardless who it is. They all count, but there is a lot of highway ahead.”
True, but if the Red Sox take three from the Yankees, the immediate pinstriped road is going to be rocky. Silent after last weekend, George Steinbrenner will surely have something to say if his high-priced stable of talent is 1-6 against the Red Sox come Sunday night. As of yesterday, Yankee employees expected The Boss to be on hand for the action although they weren’t sure.
So, here we go again. Three hyped games. Three games for A-Rod to either soak in the cheers or try and tune out the boos, something Giambi experienced.
“They wanted me to get a hit but I don’t know how it was supposed to help me if they were booing,” Giambi said. “What happens is that when there is pressure you start pressing.”
—
Quote:
“I just want to stay in the rhythm that I have found.” -ALEX RODRIGUEZ
*
Look of Defeat
The Yankees’ frustration in losing 3-of-4 to the Red Sox last weekend in Boston was mirrored in the play of Alex Rodriguez, who nearly had an 0-fer in the series before hitting a two-out single in the ninth inning of the final game.
Friday, April 16
Red Sox 6, Yankees 2
A-Rod buckles under Tim Wakefield’s knucklers. A-Rod’s line: 0-for-4, one strikeout.
Saturday, April 17
Red Sox 5, Yankees 2
Curt Schilling wins the battle of offseason pickups. A-Rod goes 0-for-4 with two strikeouts.
Sunday, April 18
Yankees 7, Red Sox 3
A-Rod gets on base, at least. He goes 0-for-4 with a strikeout, but walks twice and scores a run.
Monday, April 19
Red Sox 5, Yankees 4
Finally, A-Rod notches his first hit of the series with a single to left with two outs in the ninth. Finishes game 1-for-5 with two strikeouts.
A-Rod’s totals: 1-for-17, six strikeouts, one run, two walks
