OAKLAND, Calif. — Dallas Braden told Alex Rodriguez to stay off the mound twice in the sixth inning yesterday.
When Rodriguez cut across the mound to get back to first base on a foul ball, Braden told Rodriguez, “This is my mound, my rubber.” He repeated that message after getting Robinson Cano to bounce into a 3-6-1 double play to end the inning.
Asked about it after the A’s hung a 4-2 loss on the Yankees, Rodriguez was puzzled that a pitcher with limited major league success would be so bold.
“He told me to get off the mound,” he said. “I was a little surprised because I never heard that, especially from a guy with a handful of wins [17] in his career.”
Braden, who improved to 3-0, launched into Rodriguez when asked if the Yankees slugger apologized to him.
“What do you think?” the lefty said. “The guy was tasting himself too much to apologize. I have a lot of respect for what he has done in the game, but I am disappointed to see the other side.”
Braden continued his assault by referencing Rodriguez chopping the ball out of pitcher Bronson Arroyo’s hands at first base in Game 6 of the 2004 ALCS against Boston. On that play, Rodriguez was called out for interference.
“What was he trying to do, break up a double play at first?” Braden said. “He understood that but he doesn’t understand this? If my grandmother ran across the mound she would hear the same thing he heard.
“Those guys, from top to bottom, it’s a classy organization. From top to bottom they do it right. [Rodriguez] should maybe just watch his captain [Derek Jeter] a little more often. It doesn’t start and end with him over there at third.”
Rodriguez went 1-for-3 against Braden, who allowed two runs and six hits in six innings.
“You know it’s a shame because that guy is a tremendous talent, a superstar in every sense of the word, plays for a classy organization who always do the right things, first class all the way every time,” Braden said. “For him not to understand the baseball etiquette of running across that pitchers mound is right next to terrible.
“I am not a speck on his radar and that is fine, but I know I was out there and he will know not to do that again because there will be repercussions if it happens again.”