Alex Rodriguez’s chase of home run No. 600 hasn’t necessarily captivated the baseball world, but he had a chance yesterday to reach the milestone in pretty dramatic fashion: In his last at-bat of the home stand, with the bases loaded, in front of a crowd that sat through a two-hour, 32-minute rain delay mostly to watch him bat a couple more times. But he did not hit a home run. Instead, he got hit in the wrist — driving in his third run of the day in the process — and was removed for a pinch runner.
Rodriguez appears to have dodged a bullet — he wasn’t even taken for X-rays, and expects to be in the lineup tonight in Cleveland — but with seven straight road games this week, it’s likely he’ll hit No. 600 on the road now.
As for yesterday’s game, Curtis Granderson homered twice before the rains came, and those who stuck around to watch A-Rod also got to see Joba Chamberlain pitch poorly again, allowing a two-run home run to Scott Podsednik that closed the lead to 7–5. (After the game, Joba said he was pleased with how he pitched after giving up a two-run home run. When shall we schedule the parade?)
The Yankees would tack on five runs in the eighth for a 12–6 victory, so delayed milestones and shaky setup men aside, they’ve won six of nine to open the second half, despite some mediocre starting pitching. (Phil Hughes allowed three runs on two home runs yesterday before the delay, but did improve upon his last outing and again got great run support to earn his twelfth win.)
Assuming he’s healthy enough to play, the A-Rod watch continues tonight in Cleveland: Rodriguez is 9–24 lifetime against scheduled starter Jake Westbrook, with one home run.