A-Rod’s 3000th hit is a home run
‘I didn’t know if this day would come’
NEW YORK – After everything he’s encountered, Alex Rodriguez broke into a big smile – all the way around the bases.
Rodriguez homered for his 3,000th career hit and the New York Yankees beat Detroit 7-2 Friday night, the highlight so far in what’s become a resurgent season for the disgraced slugger.
“A year ago today, I didn’t know if this day would come,” he said. “There were some really dark days.
“Sometimes, I never thought I’d get the uniform back on.”
Out of baseball last season while serving a drug suspension, Rodriguez wasted no time, connecting in the first inning on a first-pitch, 95 mph fastball from Tigers ace Justin Verlander.
“I was happy to get it out of the way,” Rodriguez said.
The solo homer made him the 29th player in major league history to reach 3,000 hits. He was the first to do it since Yankees great Derek Jeter homered from the very same batter’s box in 2011.
“It’s a magical number,” Rodriguez said. “I’m very happy to be in the club.”
A-Rod turns 40 next month. The three-time A.L. MVP launched his 13th homer of the season and has enjoyed a productive year as a designated hitter after returning from his suspension.
Rodriguez hit his 667th career home run after beginning the day with a .299 lifetime average in 21 seasons.
“He’s obviously been very open about how appreciative he is to get the opportunity to come back and play, and a year ago he wasn’t sure what the future held for him,” teammate Brett Gardner said.
“He’s been a lot of fun to be around and he’s been having a lot of fun, and I think we’ve been playing pretty well and he’s been playing pretty well, and it’s a lot of fun to be a part of,” he said.
With the crowd at Yankee Stadium standing in anticipation, Rodriguez sent a high drive to right field. He held onto the bat as he took a few steps toward first base, and outfielder J.D. Martinez bumped into the wall as he backed up.
Fans roared as the ball sailed a half-dozen rows into the seats.
The homer was Rodriguez’s fifth in 35 at-bats off Verlander.
“I don’t ever want to give up a hit. So I definitely don’t want to be a part of the history that way,” Verlander said.
Rodriguez pointed to the crowd a couple of times and blew a kiss to his two daughters sitting behind the backstop after crossing the plate. He was greeted by Mark Teixeira and other teammates between the plate and the dugout, and got a big hug from manager Joe Girardi.
The only other players to hit a homer for No. 3,000 were Jeter and Wade Boggs.