CLEVELAND – Alex Rodriguez began hearing it from the fans at Jacobs Field before his second at-bat last night. The chant “over-rated” was for A-Rod, a dig at the Yankees third baseman in part because of past postseason failures.
The Indians were careful with Rodriguez. The likely American League MVP finished 0-for-2 with two walks in the Yanks’ 12-3 loss in Game 1 of the ALDS.
“It’s important for me to swing at strikes and stay patient,” Rodriguez said. “The more I get on base . . . just keep trusting the guys behind me.”
Indians starter C.C. Sabathia intentionally walked Rodriguez to load the bases in the fifth inning after Bobby Abreu had sliced an RBI double that cut Cleveland’s lead to 4-3. Sabathia then retired Jorge Posada and Hideki Matsui to end the threat.
Rodriguez walked in the first inning, moving Abreu to second, but the Yankees couldn’t add to a 1-0 lead.
Rodriguez has batted .133 and .071, respectively, in the last two ALDS.
“It’s up to me to swing at strikes and pass the baton,” Rodriguez said. “And if they don’t want to pitch to me, [I’ll] go to first.”