Alex Rodriguez did something on Sunday that he hadn’t done since Sept. 14, 2012 — hit a regular-season home run.
The Yankees third baseman took a Justin Verlander offering for a ride high in the air and just over the left field porch in Yankee Stadium for his 648th career homer, which is only 13 home runs away from surpassing Willie Mays.
But 648 wasn’t Rodriguez’s most important stat on Sunday, rather it was 1,951. Rodriguez’s solo shot gave him 1,951 career RBIs, which puts him past Stan Musial for fifth place on the all-time RBI list.
Rodriguez’s home run was also his first since he was suspended 211 games by Major League Baseball for violating its drug policy. He has since appealed that suspension, but that doesn’t mean he is out of the water just yet. While he waits for a ruling from MLB, he has reportedly been hit with a fine by the Yankees for seeking a second opinion and missing a rehab game.
But all that, along with a day off Saturday after striking out three times the night before, didn’t seem to bother Rodriguez, as he was able to break out of a 3-for-15 mini slump since returning to the Yankees with his home run.
See Rodriguez’s homer and the reception he received from the fans in the video below.
[mlbvideo id=”29615273″ width=”640″ height=”360″ /]
