NEW YORK — After all his struggles to hit his 600th home run, Alex Rodriguez reached the milestone with style.
He became the youngest player to
attain the mighty mark, driving a pitch into Yankee Stadium's Monument
Park in center field exactly three years to the day after his 500th
homer.
His two-run, first-inning drive off
Toronto's Shaun Marcum put New York ahead, and the Yankees coasted to a
5-1 victory over the Toronto Blue Jays on a sweltering Wednesday
afternoon to end a three-game losing streak.
"It sure has been a while," Rodriguez said, "but it definitely felt good to get a big home run and help us win."
A-Rod reached the milestone after a
12-game drought, connecting with a 2-0 pitch over the middle of the
plate for his 17th home run of the season. Because the ball landed in
Monument Park, a stadium worker managed to retrieve it for him.
A-Rod raised a hand slightly in
triumph as he rounded first base, then completed his trot to the roar of
the crowd of 47,659. He was greeted at home plate by Yankees captain
Derek Jeter, both of them slapping outstretched hands above their heads.
The rest of the team also came out to
greet Rodriguez. After stepping off the field, then coming out for a
curtain call, A-Rod kept on receiving congratulations in the Yankees'
dugout.
"I just wanted to get a base hit," he
said, "and I talked to a few of my teammates yesterday and they just
wanted me to go out there and relax and not try to do too much."
At 35 years, 8 days, Rodriguez joined
an elite club that includes Barry Bonds (762), Hank Aaron (755), Babe
Ruth (714), Willie Mays (660), Ken Griffey Jr. (630) and Sammy Sosa
(609). The next youngest was Ruth at 36 years, 196 days.
The ball he hit was the 104th
specially marked one that had been used for each of his plate
appearances since reaching No. 599. The Yankees immediately put
commemorative T-shirts on sale at concession stands for $25 each, and
one stand behind home plate sold out within two innings.
The milestone homer provided a lift
during a trying stretch for the Yankees. Not only have they watched the
Tampa Bay Rays pass them for first place in the AL East, off the field
they are still mourning the recent loss of owner George Steinbrenner,
beloved public-address announcer Bob Sheppard and former manager Ralph
Houk.
Despite saying he's been more relaxed
than he was when trying for his 500th homer, Rodriguez went just 9-for-46 after homering on July 22, the longest stretch between Nos. 599 and
600 for any of the seven to reach the mark. Mays was next at 21 at-bats,
according to STATS LLC. A-Rod went 28 without a home run before 500.
"I know Alex is going to be fine,"
Yankees manager Joe Girardi said before the game. "Yeah, I mean, he's
struggling a little bit. But it's not like all of our hitters have, you
know, have not went through struggles."
The Yankees' slugger turned 35 last
Tuesday, putting his home run pace far ahead of the rest. Ruth reached
the mark in 1931 at fewer games, though — 2,044 to 2,227.
Rodriguez received a brief ovation
when he came up again in the third inning, then grounded out to
shortstop en route to a 1-for-4 day. Jeter had four hits and scored
three runs, and Mark Teixeira drove in three runs with an RBI double in
the third and a two-run single in the fifth.
Phil Hughes (13-4) allowed one run
and four hits in 5 1/3 innings. Marcum (10-5), who had won three
straight starts, gave up five runs and eight hits in six innings.
"I'm definitely glad it's over and I
definitely enjoyed that moment, enjoyed the win," said Rodriguez, who
called it "50-50" when asked how much of home run No. 600 was
exhilaration and how much was relief. "We needed to stop the bleeding.
That's a good team over there."
In the three years since hitting No. 500, much has changed for Rodriguez.
During a tumultuous spring training
of 2009, he admitted to using steroids while playing for the Texas
Rangers from 2001-03. He also had major hip surgery that kept him out
the first month last year, as the team adjusted to high-profile
newcomers CC Sabathia, A.J. Burnett and Mark Teixeira without him.
He returned with a fresh outlook that
put the team first, helping lead the Yankees to their first World
Series championship since 2000 and reversing a trend of personal playoff
failures.
Even though he went homerless in his
first 41 at-bats this year and has connected at a much slower rate
compared to the rest of his career, the 13-time All-Star has been saying
that No. 600 is merely a springboard to better things – mainly helping
his team win, but also reaching Bonds' record of 762 home runs.
Being the home run king comes with a tarnished crown, though.
After Bonds eclipsed Aaron's record
with his 756th in 2007 amid accusations of steroid use — something Bonds
vehemently denies — talk immediately turned to A-Rod, who days earlier
had become the fastest to No. 500. He was supposed to be the player who
would restore credibility to American sports' most cherished record, but
that all changed two years later.
In response to a
SportsIllustrated.com report and mounting speculation, A-Rod admitted to
using steroids as he hit 156 homers with Texas. He has 255 with the
Yankees and 189 with the Seattle Mariners, who picked him No. 1 in 1993
amateur draft.
Rodriguez is among only three
players, along with Reggie Jackson and Darrell Evans, to hit 100 home
runs for three different teams.
For one of the most scrutinized
players in baseball, there was little fanfare in the run-up to No. 600 –
perhaps it's Steroid Era fatigue or the fact that Rodriguez became the
fourth player to reach the mark in the last 10 years after none in 31
years.
The pursuit of the home run record
gets lucrative now. As part of his $275 million, 10-year deal signed
after opting out of his contract during the 2007 World Series, Rodriguez
can earn up to $30 million more for six milestone homers. The first
would be tying Willie Mays. He'd get $6 million more each time for
matching Ruth, Aaron and Bonds and breaking the record.
Rodriguez hit No. 100 in August 1998
with Seattle, No. 200 in May 2001 and No. 300 in April 2003 with Texas.
His 400th home run came on June 8, 2005, against Milwaukee during his
second season with the Yankees.
Notes
Toronto C John Buck left in the fifth after getting hit by a Rodriguez foul tip and was replaced by Jose Molina.