Home Run of the Day: Alex Rodriguez, New York Yankees – 26.25 seconds [video]
Were you expecting anything else?
Wade Boggs did it first in 1999. Derek Jeter followed twelve years later in front of the Yankee faithful. And now it’s Alex Rodriguez who becomes the third player in Major League Baseball history to slug a home run for his 3,000th hit. It also marked the 667th blast of A-Rod’s career. In contrast, Jeter retired with 260 career dingers. Boggs managed only 118.
Which makes it all a bit more likely that Rodriguez would circle the bases for his milestone hit, but not at all certain. No, you have to thank A-Rod’s knack for finding the spotlight even when it’s not looking for him for that stroke of luck. It was only a month or two ago that the Yankees refused to acknowledge Rodriguez passing Willie Mays on the all-time home run list after all.
Even today, A-Rod can’t catch a break, with the story about what’s to happen with the home run ball promising to stay around for a while. It’s a shame too, because the moment was so fun as it was happening. A two-hit game on Thursday brought Rodriguez into reach of the milestone and he wasted no time on Friday, poking one over the fence in the first inning. At 26.25 seconds, the trot looks slow at first glance, but it’s a bit misleading. Once the ball clears the fence, Rodriguez runs at a brisk clip. What adds to the trot time instead is the wait as 45,000 fans hold their breath for the ball to make up its mind. It’s not until six seconds later that the ball comes down in the right field bleachers and A-Rod can run all out.
Derek Jeter never had that kind of bad luck (his 3,000th hit clocked in with a quick 19.47 seconds), but that was Derek Jeter. This is Alex Rodriguez and that’s how the world works when he’s involved. Would we have it any other way?
