My Life and Times

G. Paul Burnett/The New York Times

Alex Rodriguez after hitting his third home run of the game, a grand slam in the fourth inning. Rodriguez became the first player to drive in 10 runs at Yankee Stadium.

YANKEES 12, ANGELS 4
A Magic Number by Rodriguez: 10 R.B.I.
By TYLER KEPNER

They have played baseball on 161st Street in the Bronx since 1923. In all that time, with so many legends having roamed the grounds, no player has ever been responsible for 10 of his team's runs in a game. Not Babe Ruth or Lou Gehrig. Not Joe DiMaggio or Mickey Mantle. Not Derek Jeter.

All of those players are known as true Yankees, a title that has eluded Alex Rodriguez. While he waits for another chance at October, Rodriguez added to his legacy by doing something never seen on baseball's grandest stage.

He blasted three home runs in the Yankees' 12-4 victory over the Los Angeles Angels and became the first player to drive in 10 runs in a game at Yankee Stadium, according to the Elias Sports Bureau.

He homered in the first, third and fourth innings off the Angels' Bartolo Colón. The first shot drove in three runs, the second drove in two, and the third was a grand slam. Rodriguez later added a run-scoring single, and he said that as he stood on first base, he took a moment to savor what he had done.

"After the last base hit up the middle, it just felt like you're on top of a cloud," Rodriguez said. "You don't want the moment to end."

A crowd of 36,328 would have swelled exponentially, in legend, had Rodriguez belted a fourth home run, a feat accomplished just 15 times since 1894. Leading off the ninth against a soft-throwing rookie left-hander, Jake Woods, Rodriguez lined out to center.

As it was, the performance was historic enough. Only one Yankee had ever had more runs batted in during one game than Rodriguez: Tony Lazzeri, the Hall of Fame second baseman, drove in 11 on May 24, 1936, at Philadelphia, which is still the American League record. Only one other Yankee, Lou Gehrig, had more homers in a game. Gehrig hit four on June 3, 1932, also in Philadelphia.

"You don't see too many days like that," Jeter said of Rodriguez's night. "That's once in a lifetime."

With the wind blowing out to right field during batting practice, Jeter had told Rodriguez, "No human alive can hit a ball out to left tonight."

But Rodriguez hit two to left, and another to center. "I think I called Jeet every name in the book," he said.

Jeter might not have considered the pitching matchup when he made his batting-practice remark. Colón is a former 20-game winner, but he is direct in his approach. He throws one of the hardest fastballs of any starter, and he is proud of it. Hitters expect to be challenged.

Rodriguez had seen Colón more than any other Yankee, with 37 at-bats off him coming into the game. Rodriguez had three homers this season among his 14 hits, for a .378 average, but Colón seemed to invite confrontation last night.

In the first inning, he walked the leadoff man, Jeter, and walked Hideki Matsui on a full count with two out. With a 2-2 count on Rodriguez, catcher Jose Molina set up outside, and Colón's pitch drifted over the middle of the plate. Rodriguez crushed it over the fence in left-center.

Until then, Rodriguez had just two hits this season in 13 at-bats with runners in scoring position and two outs, furthering the theory that he withers in the clutch. Last night, though, all of his homers came with two out.

"Those were important at-bats," Manager Joe Torre said. "They weren't add-on runs."

The Angels scored twice off Carl Pavano in the third, cutting the Yankees' lead to 3-2. When Rodriguez batted in the bottom of the inning, there were two outs again, with Gary Sheffield on first after another walk. After taking a ball, Rodriguez destroyed the next pitch, lashing it just to the right of the seats in the left-field corner.

Almost as quickly as the ball had vanished, Rodriguez dashed around the bases. He got to the plate just three seconds after Sheffield crossed it, and bounded up the dugout steps to take a curtain call.

The Yankees led by 5-2, and Rodriguez should not have had the chance to hurt Colón in the next inning. But second baseman Chone Figgins made two errors, and with two out and a run in, Colón walked Matsui to load the bases for Rodriguez.

The fans let out a roar, sensing the drama. Angels Manager Mike Scioscia helped by leaving Colón in the game, though he had thrown 94 pitches.

"I thought Bart had enough in his tank, and if he gets that out, he could have pitched the fifth inning for us, which would have been big," Scioscia said. "We were confident with him getting through that inning."

For seven pitches, it was power versus power. On a 3-1 count, Colón blew a fastball past Rodriguez; the scoreboard clocked it at 97 miles an hour. After a foul ball, Molina set his target on the outside corner, low to the ground.

But Colón's fastball sailed up and in, and Rodriguez launched it over Steve Finley's head in center field.

"Your mouth has to drop open when you see something like that," Torre said.

Finely gave chase, but it was futile. It was a wonder that the blast did not short the circuit on the billboard that lights up between innings just below the black seats. The ball caromed hard off the sign for Rodriguez's first grand slam as a Yankee, the 11th of his career. At Torre's urging, Rodriguez waved to the fans again during a pitching change.

"It's funny, because if I would have thought grand slam for one minute, it probably would have never happened," Rodriguez said. "My complete goal there was to hit the ball hard up the middle like I did my last two at-bats."

As he spoke, Rodriguez held the grand-slam ball, retrieved by a bullpen catcher. It will be a reminder of an unforgettable night, and proof of what overwhelming talent can do.

Inside Pitch

After the game, the Yankees optioned reliever Colter Bean to Class AAA Columbus and promoted Chien Ming Wang, who will start Saturday ... the last time a major leaguer drove in 10 runs in a game was in 1999, when Nomar Garciaparra did it against the Seattle Mariners.



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