Boos were probably not what Yankees third baseman Alex Rodriguez was expecting to hear tonight at PNC Field as he started his scheduled two-game rehabilitation stay with the Triple-A Scranton/Wilkes-Barre Yankees.And if it was Jeter who did the exact same things he'd get a standing ovation and a couple pairs of panties thrown at him. Oh well, I'm sure A-Rod has thick enough skin by now to deal with a few boos from a minor-league crowd.
He sometimes moved tentatively in the field at third base, and earned some negative feedback from the crowd after he misplayed two pop-ups in foul ground along the left-field line.
The first miscue came in the fourth inning after he chased the foul ball up the line but allowed it to drop with his back to home plate; he was not charged with an error.
Two innings later, Rodriguez misplayed another foul pop in the same general area after he over ran it and the ball dropped behind him.
Rodriguez moved without his usual fluidity on both plays, and each was followed by a smattering of boos.
The miscues provided a small indication of how Rodriguez’s knee was coming along as he rehabs his way back to join the Yankees since being placed on the disabled list on July 10 with a slightly torn meniscus in his right knee.
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“I was a little tentative, a little hesitant,” Rodriguez said. “I think that’s something that comes with a little bit more time, a little bit more repetition. It’s only my third game. I had the same experience with my hip in 2009. Those last few hurdles are more mental than physical.”
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“I felt like the knee was the best thing that’s feeling right now,” he said. “It’s just getting the rest of the body. You’ve been out for three weeks and the body gets a little slow and a little tentative.”
The most important thing is that the knee is feeling better and he begins going 100% before rejoining the team.
A-Rod also went 1-for-3 with a single. Another ball he hit looked to be headed for extra bases but was tracked down by the Durham center fielder.