A-Gone is the new Big Papi. Get used to it Yankees.
And the seeds of Adrian Gonzalez’s stardom were planted back when he was a little-used player with the Rangers in 2005 because Mark Teixeira blocked him at first base.
On this night there were no A-Bombs from A-Rod, but in his first game at the new Yankee Stadium, Gonzalez put his stamp on the rivalry, blasting a leadoff home run in the fourth off Bartolo Colon, deep into the second deck in right and driving in a run in the Red Sox three-run seventh with a long sacrifice fly to left off Joba Chamberlain in Boston’s 5-4 victory.
Right now, it is the Red Sox who hold the first base advantage in this battle since acquiring Gonzalez from the Padres. That used to be a huge plus for the Yankees with Teixeira but that is all A-Gone now with the addition of Gonzalez.
When the two were teammates in 2005, the young Gonzalez was a part time desginated hitter who got just 150 at-bats while Teixeira was the star at first base. Gonzalez, 29, sure has come into his own.
“For me it allowed me to work in the cage with [hitting coach] Rudy [Jamarillo] and learn a lot about hitting,” Gonzalez recalled. “I wasn’t playing so I could hang out with Rudy and just pick his brain.
“I’ve always been a guy who tried to learn as much as I can about hitting.”
Consider the lessons learned. The Red Sox love having Gonzalez at first and batting third in their lineup.
“This is a player we brought over here for a reason and it is fun to sit back and watch,” said Kevin Youkilis, whose two-run home run off Chamberlain after Gonzalez’s sac fly gave the Red Sox a 5-2 lead in the seventh. “I got a great look on deck and he’s one hell of a player. It’s definitely a lot of fun to watch him put the ball in left field, right field, and have good at-bats. He’s a special player.”
Dustin Pedroia, whose hit and run single in the seventh set up the big inning, said Gonzalez is one of the top first basemen in baseball.
“He’s one of the best in the game,” he said. “That’s what we knew we were getting when we got him. He finds ways to make everyone around him better.”
The Yankees have no real weapon in their bullpen to counter the lefty-swinging Gonzalez. Boone Logan is the only lefty out of the pen, and Gonzalez’s sacrifice fly nearly became a three-run home run against Chamberlain.
No one is hotter than Gonzalez. He has seven home runs in the last 10 games and eight for the season with 31 RBI to lead the American League. He is batting .329.
He is a difference maker at the plate and in the field. He simply has the look of a Yankee Killer with that sweet lefty swing. He’s good for Yankee Stadium. He’s good for Fenway with the Green Monster and his ability to take the ball the other way. He is unflappable. It is fitting that the Padres offense has completely collapsed now that he is A-Gone.
Gonzalez hit one home run in the old Yankee Stadium.
“It was a sinker to right-center,” he recalled.
Gonzalez jokingly said he had a big night last night because he had a lucky cheese steak before the game. He promised he will have another one before tonight’s game and facing CC Sabathia tonight.
It was no joking matter when he was asked if this is the perfect ballpark for him. Asked about the short right field, Gonzalez said, “It was the game plan with Bartolo pounding me in.”
Said Red Sox manager Terry Francona: “I think his swing is a nice match for any ballpark.” So does Gonzalez.
“Success or not is not going to be because of the park,” he said. “This is a game of execution. I never worry about ballparks. I learned that early in San Diego.”
From the looks of it, A-Gone can take the Red Sox a long way.