ALEX Rodriguez survived a steroid admission, a tell-all biography and hip surgery to produce, arguably, the most rewarding season of his career.
But now comes the hard part. Harder than having the seediest parts of his life revealed or having his body cut open. For it is October, which means Rodriguez is about to have every one of his at-bats turned into a referendum on his career and manhood.
He has one RBI in his last 16 postseason games. He is hitless in his last 18 postseason at-bats with runners in scoring position. He is hitless in his last 27 postseason at-bats with men on base. One of the elite RBI men in history has been rendered a T-ball reject in the clutch moments of October.
He will, of course, say that none of this matters when the Division Series opens, that the past is not a weight on how he performs in the present. We’ll see how that goes the first time he has second and third, and one out with the Yanks down by a run.
And I am here to say it is about time that we all stop using A-Rod as a convenient scapegoat should things go wrong for the Yankees in October. Let us assume that the highest-paid player in the history of baseball continues to gag in this Division Series. That still leaves the Yankees the highest-paid catcher, first baseman, shortstop, starting pitcher and closer in history to do something about it.
The $200 million-plus Yankees sold us hard this year that they were a tight-knit team from the bonding pool tournament in spring training to the champagne bath of late September. So — if necessary — it is time for this team to carry Rodriguez through a round of the playoffs.
Rodriguez did not win those 103 games by himself. He did not set the franchise record for home runs alone. Of course, if Rodriguez has another dreadful playoff series the degree of difficulty rises for the Yanks. He is, after all, the cleanup hitter. But he should no longer be an alibi if this is another postseason of horrible Yankee pitching or if Mark Teixeira disappears in the way he mostly did when Rodriguez missed the first 28 games of this season.
Look at it this way, if Rodriguez were injured right now and unable to play in this series, the Yanks would still be viewed as the favorites over the AL Central champs even if they had to play Jerry Hairston, Eric Hinske or Ramiro Pena at third. So the rest of the team has to be ready to cover for Rodriguez and, just as important, Rodriguez needs to trust his teammates.
In previous postseasons, the egomaniac side of A-Rod won his constant mental battle. He clearly was playing for his legacy as much as a ring. His view of himself as the greatest player ever needed the cherry on top, which was postseason greatness. And, because of that, Rodriguez pressed to deliver playoff magic. He played the mercenary perfectly: If I don’t succeed, we can’t succeed and — more important — I can’t be recognized for my genius.
The secret to A-Rod’s success this year is that he trusted his teammates more. That meant stepping out of the foot-in-the-mouth spotlight and becoming more a part of the club off the field. But also it meant walking 15 times more in 14 fewer games between this year and last year. Rather than expand his zone in search of RBIs and glories, Rodriguez trusted those behind him; and Hideki Matsui and Jorge Posada, in specific, are probably the Yanks’ two best clutch hitters.
I expect pitchers will again see if Rodriguez is willing to get himself out in October. He must remember that team success will shine brightly on him, too, and to accept the walks. Then it would be up to others to drive A-Rod in and force the opposition to reconsider and throw Rodriguez strikes.
Can A-Rod’s teammates help Rodriguez help himself?