New York Post
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October 18, 2009
Alex Rodriguez took his gloves off about a month ago -- literally.
On impulse, Rodriguez decided to take batting practice one day in September without his batting gloves. He hasn't worn them during pregame workouts since. He says it is not a superstition. Actually, he offered no real reason for doing it aside from the fact it feels right. "Just going with it," Rodriguez said before Game 2 of the ALCS last night.
And these days A-Rod is going where perhaps no other player in the world can. He suddenly has channeled his inner-Reggie Jackson. He is ultra-timely, and that is moving him toward an all-time postseason. The one-time, one-man soap opera is all about a different kind of drama these days.
"It's pretty unbelievable what he has done for us so far," Joe Girardi said.
NEW YORK - OCTOBER 17: Alex Rodriguez(notes) #13 of New York Yankees hits a solo home run to tie the game in the bottom of the eleventh inninng of Game Two of the ALCS against the Los Angeles Angels of Anaheim during the 2009 MLB Playoffs at Yankee Stadium on October 17, 2009 in the Bronx borough of New York City. (Photo by Nick Laham/Getty Images)Rodriguez has been a rescue squad. He has hit three home runs this postseason. All have gone to right field -- a sign of his swing being locked in. More important, all have come in the seventh inning or later to tie the score. Last night was his latest and greatest. He homered leading off the 11th inning off Angels closer Brian Fuentes, knotting the score 3-3. The Yankees went on to win 4-3 in 13 innings to gain a two-games-to-none lead in the ALCS. So they head to the West Coast undefeated in these playoffs (5-0) and in a good frame of mind to deal with the Rally Monkey and a hostile environment.
They survived, in part, because Fuentes inexplicably threw a pitch near the plate at 0-2 in the count to Rodriguez. Fuentes had three straight lefty vs. lefty matchups due up after Rodriguez: backup outfielders Freddy Guzman and Brett Gardner, plus Robinson Cano. Rodriguez almost certainly was the only person who could hurt him with one swing. Yet after getting two borderline pitches called strikes, Fuentes did not heed caution. Instead, with a 3-2 lead, he felt he had to attack to keep the tying run off base. So he tried to elevate a fastball and get Rodriguez to chase.
But the fastball stayed up over the plate, and Rodriguez drove it through the wind and an intensifying rain. It was a low line drive and Jorge Posada thought it was too low to get out. But Rodriguez has such strength in his hands that leads to extra carry. The ball barely cleared the right-field fence, just beyond the leap of Bobby Abreu.
"Considering the conditions, I don't know how he got it out," marveled Jerry Hairston Jr.
"Alex is dangerous," Angels manager Mike Scioscia said. "If you miss a spot, he is the type that will let you know."
Rodriguez has now homered this postseason off the two closers who led the majors in saves, Fuentes and Minnesota's Joe Nathan. He has at least one RBI in all five postseason games this year and in six consecutive playoff games for the Yankees dating to 2007. That ties him with Bernie Williams for the third longest streak in Yankees history behind Moose Skowron (seven straight) and Lou Gehrig (eight).
It was all just a further reminder of where Rodriguez is right now, comfortable and confident, and thriving because of it.
"I know you guys are looking for something profound," Rodriguez said. "I'm just in a good place."
For the Yankees, that good place is hitting cleanup and providing staggering late-game theater. He helped the Yankees avoid giving the Angels some life before the series shifted West and he had the key blow as his team went to a staggering 17-0 this year when they are tied after seven innings.
He stood out on a night when Yankees legends of October stepped up. Derek Jeter homered, his 19th in the postseason, allowing him to pass Jackson and Mickey Mantle on the all-time list. Mariano Rivera worked 2 1/3 scoreless innings, his longest postseason outing since ALCS Game 7 in 2003, when he pitched three innings in the Aaron Boone game.
It says something about Rodriguez this October that he can rise above even Jeter and Rivera. He has taken his gloves off. Suddenly, with Alex Rodriguez, anything seems possible.
joel.sherman@nypost.com
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