Grading Alex Rodriguez’s Performance at the Plate in Return to Yankee Stadium
August 9, 2013 · J.J. Schoch · Jump to comments
Article Source: Bleacher Report - New York Yankees
Alex Rodriguez returned home for the New York Yankees on Friday night, making his first appearance in Yankee Stadium in 2013.
Rodriguez hadn’t played a game at home since his disastrous postseason performance last season, and he had to have been hoping for better in his latest appearance in the Bronx.
Unfortunately, it wasn’t meant to be.
A-Rod was booed before every at-bat in Chicago, and that trend continued in New York:
His first at-bat brought another round of the boo-birds, and they only increased in volume and intensity after he struck out with Ichiro Suzuki on second to end the first inning.
Rodriguez came up again in the third inning, this time with a runner on third and only one out. A sacrifice alone could have brought home Robinson Cano, but A-Rod squandered the RBI opportunity, striking out by whiffing on back-to-back breaking balls out of the zone.
Rodriguez’s third at-bat was technically his best of the night—as he was finally able to make contact with the ball—but a lazy fly ball out with runners on second and third hardly classifies as a success.
A-Rod’s last at-bat led off the eighth inning for New York, and he was caught looking for his third strikeout of the game.
It was a rough night for the third baseman, as his three-game hitting streak came to an end. Let’s take a closer look at his performance tonight.
Contact: D-
A-Rod had been making contact fairly consistently in the Yankees’ series against the Chicago White Sox, but he clearly struggled against a much better pitching team in the Tigers.
Rodriguez’s only contact was on a fly-out to right field that wasn’t well-struck.
Power: F
One of the only things worse than A-Rod’s contact was his power. Rodriguez’s only batted ball left the infield, but he recorded the dreaded hat trick at the plate.
Situational Hitting: F
The worst part of A-Rod’s game had to be his inability to hit when the team needed him the most.
Rodriguez left four runners in scoring position on Friday night, including a runner on third with one out in the third inning.
It was like watching him in the 2012 ALCS all over again.
Overall: F
A-Rod was pulled after striking out in the eighth inning, and his night ended with him going 0-for-4 with three strikeouts.
This was the worst performance we’ve seen from him all year at any level, and it came at the worst possible time.
By playing well, Rodriguez could have won some of the Yankee faithful back over. Unfortunately, he reminded fans just how bad he can be, and it’s unlikely they have changed their minds about rooting against him.
Things couldn’t have been much worse for No. 13 on Friday night.
Read more New York Yankees news on BleacherReport.com
Yankee Tickets
Shop Yankee
