Alex Rodriguez had the Linescore of the Day, or rather of the Inning, against the Tampa Bay Rays on Sunday, as he drove in seven runs in the 6th inning (an inning RBI mark for the AL). His seven runs batted in helped propel the Yankees to a 10-2 (all ten NY runs coming in the 6th) victory in their final game of the year, the team’s 103 win of the season. ARod ripped a three run homer in his 1st at bat of the inning and he came to the plate with the bases loaded in his 2nd time up, after the Rays intentionally walked Mark Teixeira, and Rodriguez cleared off the bases with his 30th dong, giving him 100 RBIs for the season, in only 124 games, due in part to hip surgery, AMAZING!
Alex Rodriguez 3 for 4, 2 HRs, 7 RBIs (in the 6th, including a GS), 2 runs
It was a mismatch from the onset, C.C. Sabathia (going for his 20th win) & the Yankees against rookie David Price & the Rays. When the smoke had settled a 13-4 beat-down occurred, thirteen runs on seventeen hits, 5 for 5 by one player, one starting lefthander only allowed two hits over seven innings. Who was the star with five hits, Derek Jeter, Robinson Cano, didn’t the Yankees already clinch, why did they have to be so rough on Tampa Bay? Funny thing is B.J. Upton of the Rays was the 5 for 5 guy, including being the first player in Rays history to hit for the cycle, C.C. Sabathia was the hurler who was shelled, while Price totally dominated the Pinstripers from the Bronx. Upton came into the game with a disappointing .236 batting average.
Chris Carpenter did his best Babe Ruth imitation, doing it with the bat and doing it with his arm. He hit a grand slam on his first career home run in the 2nd inning, then cracked a two run double in his next at bat, while throwing five donuts at the Red Legs. His five shutout innings secured the NL ERA title.
Jay Bruce slugged his 21st and 22nd homers and knocked in five runs in Tuesday’s triumph over the Cardinals. Meanwhile, Bruce has made some adjustments since returning from an eight-week disabled list stint with a broken right wrist. Since being activated on Sept. 14, he is batting .375 (12-for-32) with four homers and 12 RBIs. He’s batting .224 for the season. After avoiding the long ball virtually all season, Joel Pineiro was reached for three homers Tuesday. Jay Bruce hit a three-run shot in the second inning and a two-run jack in the sixth, and Joey Votto added a solo homer in the third. Pineiro had not given up even two homers in a single game all year, and had been reached a total of seven times in his previous 30 starts.
Andy LaRoche had a career day against his old mates, the LA Dodgers, in the last game in Pittsburgh for 2009. LaRoche was 5 for 5, with six runs batted in, 2 doubles, 2 homers, & 1 single, were among his hits. LaRoche said, he knew he was seeing the ball well when he singled his first time up against Hiroki Kuroda. Truth be told Andy has been seeing the ball well lately, hitting .368 over his past 14 starts, in that span he’s gone deep five times, driving in 13, while hitting safely in each game. His five home runs are more than he hit in the first half of the season. He finished his most reason series against the Dodgers going 10 for 18.
O-Dog became the first Dodger to hit for the cycle at Dodger Stadium, and the first since Wes Parker did so on May 7, 1970 in New York against the Mets.
