READING, Pa. — On his second swing last night, Alex Rodriguez sent his bat flying into the stands, scattering fans behind the third-base dugout. No one was hurt, reaffirming that Rodriguez may never again do much damage with his bat.
With girlfriend Torrie Wilson sitting in the first row behind home plate, Rodriguez went 0-for-3 with a sacrifice fly as the Trenton Thunder, the Yankees’ Double-A affiliate, lost to the Reading Fightin’ Phils, 6-3, at FirstEnergy Stadium.
His O-fer came one night after he went 2-for-4, including the first home run of his 20-day “Bad Hip Over America Tour,” which is scheduled to end on Sunday. On Monday, Rodriguez is penciled in to rejoin the Yankees in Texas.
“I think the test for me [tonight] was [it was] the first time I played four days in a row seven-plus innings,” he said. “So that was a good sign.”
With just a few days left until his return either to the majors or to the organization’s Tampa headquarters for more rehab, Rodriguez has just five hits in 28 at-bats spread over various minor league levels. That’s a .179 batting average in any league.
“I’ve never really played any attention to rehab statistics,” Rodriguez said. “I’m happy about putting the barrel of the bat on the ball tonight four times. Four times on the barrel, solid contact, swinging at strikes. That’s what I’m looking for.’’
Rodriguez, who began his postgame interview asking about teammate Robinson Cano — hit with a pitch by Matt Harvey of the Mets in last night’s All-Star Game — said he would not play in today’s noon game here. However, he will work out at the ballpark this morning.
He said he will play somewhere tomorrow — either with the Thunder in Trenton or at Triple-A Scranton/Wilkes-Barre — but was waiting for “instructions.”
He feigned ignorance when asked about going to Trenton.
“Where’s that?’’ Rodriguez asked. Told it was in New Jersey, he said, “I’ve never been.”
He declined comment when told Michael Weiner, the head of the Players Association, said yesterday it was unlikely any suspensions stemming from MLB’s investigation into Biogenesis and the use of performance-enhancing drugs would have to be served this season.
Rodriguez lined out hard to left field in the first inning before lofting a sacrifice fly in the third. In the fifth, swinging at the first pitch, he popped to left. He led off the seventh by swinging at a 2-0 pitch and bouncing harmlessly to third.
In the field, Rodriguez had just one chance. Well, two.
A room-service hop on a grounder helped him start a 5-4-3 double play in the fifth. Earlier, he had barely waved at a bouncer that went through the hole between third and short in the fourth.
“Maybe 12 years ago,” he said of the ball the ball that whizzed past him.