When it’s 12 or 15 or 20 at-bats, maybe then Alex Rodriguez will worry about it.
But not through two games. And not through eight at-bats.
After Alex Rodriguez’s blistering ALDS and ALCS, the Yankees slugger has been not just cooled off but basically frozen through the first two games of the World Series.
A-Rod went 0-for-4 with three strikeouts in Game 1, then went 0-for-4 with three more strikeouts last night in the Yankees’ 3-1 Game 2 win over the Phillies.
He struck out just five times combined in the first two rounds.
“It’s eight at-bats — I’m not concerned at all,” he said after last night stinker. “Guys picked me up today, we’re 1-1. There’s a lot of baseball left.”
Rodriguez insisted he feels just fine at the plate.
“They’ve made some good pitches,” he said. “I’ve missed some pitches and fouled ’em off. I think they’re being careful. But overall, I’m just glad that I got picked up today by the boys in front of me and behind me.
“Obviously, [Mark] Teixiera and [Hideki] Matsui had two big home runs. And I’m going to be fine.”
Rodriguez went down looking at a Pedro Martinez curveball in his first at-bat, in the second inning. He flied out to left in the fourth and struck out swinging in the sixth against Martinez.
In A-Rod’s final turn, against righty reliever Ryan Madson in the eighth, Rodriguez was caught looking.
“I know he’ll bounce back,” manager Joe Girardi said. “Obviously, you want him to continue on the torrid pace that he was on, but he’ll bounce back, and we’ll get it going with him in Philly.”