Alex Rodriguez played baseball on Thursday night. Or a more accurate description: he held a piece of wood in his hands and tried to hit a little white ball. Hitting that little white ball didn’t go so well and New York fans probably wish A-Rod would just go away at this point.
The Baltimore Orioles beat the New York Yankees 2-1 to tie the ALDS at two games a piece. But it really didn’t matter if the Yankees won or lost. A-Rod is now a certified goat—or a Jerk. He has been awful the entire series—in fact, he’s been awful for quite some time. His playoff numbers since 2010 are terrible, dreadful, or … add any other adjective you’d like.
But let’s just stick with 2012:
| AB | R | H | 2B | 3B | HR | RBI | BB | SO | AVG | OBP | SLG | OPS |
| 16 | 1 | 2 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 2 | 9 | .125 | .222 | .125 | .337 |
Let the numbers soak in a little bit. There’s really no need to editorialize a .125 batting average. But his sheer futility at the plate is soul crushing—and that futility was once again on display during game 4 of the ALDS.
In the eighth inning, with the game tied 1-1, Rodriguez stepped to the plate. He had runners at second and third.
He struck out. Again. On the night he went 1 for 4, with two strikeouts and three runners left on base.
In the bottom of the 13th, with the Yankees trailing 2-1, Eric Chavez pinch-hit for A-Rod. It was the second time in two games Joe Girardi put his faith in someone not named Alex Rodriguez.
This is the same Alex Rodriguez with 647 career home runs. This is the same guy who has the fifth most home runs in the history of baseball.
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But as time wears on, it’s becoming more and more apparent that A-Rod is just a shell of his former self. Thursday’s game only solidified the feeling A-Rod is not built for the playoffs.
Michael Smith of ESPN tweeted:
A Rod having a worse night than … nevermind
— Michael Smith (@michaelsmith) October 12, 2012
and:
A Rod at-bats = the definition of insanity
— Michael Smith (@michaelsmith) October 12, 2012
It’s just painful to watch A-Rod swing a bat these days. A story on Fox News read, “At age 37, he has become perhaps the biggest hole in the New York Yankees’ batting order this October, a close-to-automatic out.”
That’s exactly what he is: an automatic out. But A-Rod is an automatic out signed through 2017. He’s also an automatic out with a hefty price tag. The rest of his contract breaks down like this (courtesy of Baseball Prospectus):
2013: $29 million
2014: $26 million
2015: $22 million
2016: $21 million
2017: $21 million
Get used to him New York fans, he’s going to be ruining your Octobers for years to come. But you may not have to wait that long for A-Rod to ruin this October. Game 5 of the ALDS is scheduled for 5 PM Friday. New York fans—May God have mercy on your souls.
Stats courtesy of ESPN.com
