TORONTO – From Madonna to The Mick with the start of a messy divorce in between, it’s been a helluva week for Alex Rodriguez.
With future ex-wife Cynthia claiming Madonna nuked her marriage by playing a role in the latest – but certainly not the last – scandal in Rodriguez’s tumultuous life, the superstar third baseman passed Yankee icon and Hall of Famer Mickey Mantle on the all-time home run list yesterday, leading the Yankees to a much-needed 9-4 victory over the Blue Jays in front of 44,363 at Rogers Centre.
The win, which stopped a two-game slide, preceded the very sad news that Yankees legend Bobby Murcer, 62, passed away following a battle with brain cancer.
Rodriguez’s 537th homer kissed the left-field foul pole in the fourth inning and moved him past Mantle into 13th place on the all-time list.
Rodriguez has passed Willie McCovey, Ted Williams, Jimmie Foxx and Mantle this year. Next on the list is Mike Schmidt at 548. Then it’s on to Reggie Jackson, who has 563.
“The names are special names and make you take a step back,” said Rodriguez, who delivered a two-run single in the four-run second that erased a 4-1 deficit. “I am enjoying the moment. When you think about Mickey, he was probably the most popular Yankee of all time with Babe Ruth, Lou Gehrig and (Joe DiMaggio). He was Mickey.”
Derek Jeter (2-for-5) opened the game with a homer, his 18th leadoff homer, and drove in three runs. It was career No. 200 for Jeter. Brett Gardner, dropped from first to ninth in the order, drove in three runs and went 2-for-2 and walked twice.
Considering the Yankees had scored 20 runs in the last eight games, were hitting .207 overall and .203 with runners in scoring position during that stretch, nine runs felt like a waterfall.
Though Darrell Rasner’s numbers don’t look impressive, you take away two misplays by Bobby Abreu in right field in the first inning that played a hand in the four Blue Jays runs and Rasner’s line looks better than four runs (three earned) and seven hits.
“It was great to get that run support and I appreciate it,” said Rasner, who won for the second time since May 21 and is 5-7. “We have a chance to win the series (today) and that is what’s bigger.”
Rasner (5-7), who started 3-0 and then went 1-7, gave up four in the first and none across the next four frames even though he was in trouble during three of the four innings. He left the bases loaded in the second by getting Brad Wilkerson to ground out. After John McDonald and Joe Inglett opened the fourth with singles, Rasner fanned Marco Scutaro, Lyle Overbay and Matt Stairs. Wilkerson led off the fifth with a double, but Scott Rolen, Adam Lind and Gregg Zaun couldn’t get him home.
The quartet of Edwar Ramirez, Jose Veras, Kyle Farnsworth and La Troy Hawkins provided four innings of scoreless relief. The only baserunner was Zaun, who drew a two-out walk from Farnsworth in the eighth.
As for Rodriguez passing Mantle, whom Murcer was supposed to replace, on the day Murcer passed away, Rodriguez simply shook his head.
“I don’t believe there are random events,” said Rodriguez, who started the game in a 2-for-17 slide. “Bobby and Mickey were Yankee icons for so many years.”