A-Rod ties Mays with home run No. 660
Alex Rodriguez tied Willie Mays for fourth place in major league history with his 660th home run, breaking an eighth-inning tie with a pinch-hit shot that sent the New York Yankees to a 3-2 win over the host Boston Red Sox on Friday night.
Yankees manager Joe Girardi left Rodriguez out of the starting lineup to rest him but sent him up to bat for Garrett Jones with one out in the eighth.
Rodriguez ran the count to 3-0, then lined a fastball from Junichi Tazawa (0-1) into the left-field seats above the Green Monster and jogged around the bases to boos from the crowd at Fenway Park, where he made his major league debut with Seattle in 1994.
The Yankees’ reaction was a bit subdued for a teammate who was suspended all last season for his involvement in the Biogenesis performance-enhancing drug scandal. Players stayed in the dugout, applauding. But when A-Rod arrived, Girardi gave him a high-five and teammates shook his hand and enthusiastically patted him on the back.
Rodriguez and the Yankees have a $30 million marketing agreement that calls for payments of $6 million each for up to five accomplishments, payable within 15 days of designation by the team.
The Yankees, though, are thinking about letting the milestones pass without making a designation.
Still, only three players have hit more homers than Rodriguez – Barry Bonds (762), Hank Aaron (755) and Babe Ruth (714).
Fines could kick in for delays
Enforcement of professional baseball’s pace-of-play rules are now in effect.
Under the rules pitchers have 2 minutes and 25 seconds to begin their windup or come set between innings. They have 20 seconds to do so between pitches. Batters must be in the box and ready for the pitch when the clock strikes 5.
Starting Friday in the minors, balls and strikes were to be added to the count as penalties against pitchers and batters. In the majors, players were to face possible fines though an agreement is in place to give some leeway through May.
Manfred OK with DH model
Baseball commissioner Rob Manfred said that the recent instances of pitchers injuring themselves while batting haven’t changed his opinion that the sport benefits from the two leagues playing under different rules.
Cardinals ace Adam Wainwright tore his left Achilles and will miss the rest of the season, while Nationals ace Max Scherzer missed a start after hurting his thumb.
“I understand why there’s talk because we had a couple pitcher injuries while they were batting,” Manfred said. “Over the long haul, I’m a status quo person on the DH.”
Clearing the bases
Reds starter Homer Bailey will have surgery on his pitching elbow and miss the rest of the season. … OF Carlos Quentin has announced his retirement due to chronic knee injuries.