DIVISION-CHAMPIONSHIP fever was cooled last night, chilled, despite a four-run, game-tying, ninth-inning rally, by a Red Sox win and a Gregg Zaun 14th-inning homer off Brian Bruney. At least the thermometer in Alex Rodriguez’s mouth, placed there by the three hits in 29 at bats coming into the 5-4 loss was again registering normal.
His RBI single off the masterful Roy Halladay, Rodriguez’s second hit of the game and fourth hard-hit ball, was his 21st hit in the ninth inning this season. In the 10th, with Bobby Abreu on first and two outs, Rodriguez almost took Russ Adams’ hand off with a smash so hard the third baseman had time to reach behind him, pick up the ball and make the play at first. The only time Rodriguez didn’t make good contact in a 2-for-6 night was on a 13th inning pop-up.
“He was much more aggressive, hit some balls hard,” Joe Torre said. “He used the middle of the field, which is important.”
And Rodriguez is essential. After hitting 52 home runs, driving in a career-high 143 runs, he doesn’t need a hit the rest of the season to save his MVP Award, or the Yankees’ spot in the postseason. You only wondered whether he had to save himself, again from himself, with the playoffs beckoning.
“With the number of important at-bats he’s had this year, he has a reservoir to call on,” Torre said before the game. “I think he’s a completely different person that he was last year.”
He showed it again last night, not letting bad go to worse, as we await either the best or worst to come. Lifetime, Rodriguez has six home runs and 16 RBI in 134 at-bats over nine postseason series. In only two of them – for Seattle against the Yankees in 2000 (.409, 2 HR, 5 RBI) and for the Yankees against Minnesota in 2004, (.421 one homer, three RBI) – did a postseason Rodriguez bear the slightest resemblance to regular-season Rodriguez, the best player of the generation.
He still may get his $30 million a year from the Angels or the Yankees if he doesn’t hit a lick in October again. But if he opts out of his contract after doing little to save the Yankees a third straight, first round defeat, the same fans who chanted “MVP! MVP!” when he came up in the ninth, may opt out on caring whether A-Rod returns.
So the last thing Rodriguez needs going into the postseason is a full two weeks of getting himself out, as he had been doing for eight games.
“When you get yourselves in a little rut, your plan isn’t working and you tend to change your mind and find yourself in-between a lot,” Torre said. “But I don’t think we’re at a point of concerning ourselves.
“Even if the season ended tomorrow, postseason is a whole new ballgame.”
A-Rod would know after an .071 average against Detroit in the playoffs last year slid him to eighth in Joe Torre’s lineup, on top of a .133 against the Angels in 2005. Given enough chances, superior players eventually will come through in the clutch. And of course, production from his teammates, none of whom did a thing after Game One last fall, would help.
“As great as Alex is, we’re going to be facing great pitching in the postseason and other guys need to get the job done just as much as he does,” Johnny Damon said. “If he chips in a hit here and there, that’s great.
“I don’t think he’s going to feel the pressure. We have enough guys who want to be in that situation and we’ll handle it just like he will.”
Ultimately, true, provided this post season, unlike the last two, goes long enough. That said, when he steps up next Tuesday, a good final week from Rodriguez would certainly be preferable to the alternative. And last night was a good start.