Alex Rodriguez homers, Brett Gardner hits walkoff homer as Yankees beat Tigers, Gardner also bailed out Rivera after a blown save with a walkoff single Friday night against the Tigers. Rodriguez, meanwhile, had his best day back in pinstripes. He was 2-for-4 with a solo homer, the 648th of his career, and an RBI single. Both hits were off Detroit ace Justin Verlander. He also made two nifty plays at third base.
First, Alex Rodriguez turned boos into cheers — many of them, anyway — with his first home run since his return from his latest hip surgery and latest drug scandal. Then Mariano Rivera blew his third consecutive save opportunity, stunning the Stadium crowd into silence in the ninth inning on Sunday.
In the end, though, the 42,439 fans were back on their feet and so were the Yankees, celebrating when Brett Gardner slammed a walk-off homer in the bottom half of the frame. Gardner’s blast was his second walk-off hit of the weekend following a blown save by Rivera, lifting the Yankees to a 5-4 victory and an improbable series win over AL Central leader Detroit.
“I think Mo’s bailed us out quite a few times,” Gardner said, wryly, of baseball’s all-time saves leader. Still, Rivera has now blown three consecutive saves for the first time in his career.
Not that anyone is fretting. “He just had a bad week,” Joe Girardi said. “It’s not like he forgot how to pitch.”
Even Rivera said he’s not concerned. “No, I don’t worry about it,” he said. “We always have this kind of conversation — early, late, middle of the season. But it happens. We have to continue to work.”
And Rivera must figure out a way to retire Miguel Cabrera, the superlative Tiger slugger who homered off him Friday and again Sunday. Cabrera’s blast into the Sunday sunshine brought the Tigers within one run, and Victor Martinez connected one out later to knot the score at 4. It’s only the fifth time in his career Rivera has allowed two homers in a game.
But the Yankees won anyway. As Girardi put it, “We saw something that we’ve never seen in I don’t know how many years Mo’s been pitching, and for Gardy to pick us up, it’s great.”
It was Rodriguez who got the Yankees started after Andy Pettitte gave up a first-inning run for the eighth consecutive start. A few moments after hearing the usual mix of boos and cheers when he came to the plate in the second inning, Rodriguez lofted a high, arcing fly down the left-field line off Detroit ace Justin Verlander. Most of the crowd burst into cheers and Rodriguez clapped as he crossed the plate and pointed toward the sky.
You want to turn boos into cheers,” Rodriguez said.
It was the 648th homer of his career and it gave him 1,951 RBI, pushing him past Stan Musial into fifth place on baseball’s all-time list. And cementing his best day back in pinstripes, Rodriguez added an RBI single down the first-base line off a Verlander 98 mph fastball. He finished 2-for-4 with two RBI and he also made two nifty plays at third.
The single was a hit that perhaps helped show he can at least compete against the toughest righthanders — he came into the game 0-for-7 with five strikeouts against righties, a poor follow-up to the showing against righties last October that got him benched in the playoffs.
But it also showed that there is still rust. Rodriguez did not initially run because, he said, he thought he had fouled the ball straight back.
“It’s been a long time,” Rodriguez said. “I’m just trying to get my feet wet out there.”
Added Girardi: “I think it’s unfair to expect him to be in mid-season form. Our hope is that he is, but you’re never sure when a guy comes off the DL — he had been there a long time. But today was a great day for him.”
Alfonso Soriano also homered — it was his 2,000th career hit — and Eduardo Nunez added a sacrifice fly as the Yankees built a 4-1 lead. But David Robertson gave up a homer to Brayan Pena in the eighth and the Tigers solved Rivera in the ninth, setting up Gardner’s moment.
“That’s the first time I’ve ever hit a walk-off homer and it might be the last,” said Gardner, who has five lifetime walk-off hits. “I’ve had a couple seeing-eye singles up the middle and through the left side, but never a home run like that. It felt good, but it didn’t matter if it was me or someone else. We just needed to get a win and I’m glad we made it happen.”
First, Alex Rodriguez turned boos into cheers — many of them, anyway — with his first home run since his return from his latest hip surgery and latest drug scandal. Then Mariano Rivera blew his third consecutive save opportunity, stunning the Stadium crowd into silence in the ninth inning on Sunday.
In the end, though, the 42,439 fans were back on their feet and so were the Yankees, celebrating when Brett Gardner slammed a walk-off homer in the bottom half of the frame. Gardner’s blast was his second walk-off hit of the weekend following a blown save by Rivera, lifting the Yankees to a 5-4 victory and an improbable series win over AL Central leader Detroit.
“I think Mo’s bailed us out quite a few times,” Gardner said, wryly, of baseball’s all-time saves leader. Still, Rivera has now blown three consecutive saves for the first time in his career.
Not that anyone is fretting. “He just had a bad week,” Joe Girardi said. “It’s not like he forgot how to pitch.”
Even Rivera said he’s not concerned. “No, I don’t worry about it,” he said. “We always have this kind of conversation — early, late, middle of the season. But it happens. We have to continue to work.”
And Rivera must figure out a way to retire Miguel Cabrera, the superlative Tiger slugger who homered off him Friday and again Sunday. Cabrera’s blast into the Sunday sunshine brought the Tigers within one run, and Victor Martinez connected one out later to knot the score at 4. It’s only the fifth time in his career Rivera has allowed two homers in a game.
But the Yankees won anyway. As Girardi put it, “We saw something that we’ve never seen in I don’t know how many years Mo’s been pitching, and for Gardy to pick us up, it’s great.”
It was Rodriguez who got the Yankees started after Andy Pettitte gave up a first-inning run for the eighth consecutive start. A few moments after hearing the usual mix of boos and cheers when he came to the plate in the second inning, Rodriguez lofted a high, arcing fly down the left-field line off Detroit ace Justin Verlander. Most of the crowd burst into cheers and Rodriguez clapped as he crossed the plate and pointed toward the sky.
You want to turn boos into cheers,” Rodriguez said.
It was the 648th homer of his career and it gave him 1,951 RBI, pushing him past Stan Musial into fifth place on baseball’s all-time list. And cementing his best day back in pinstripes, Rodriguez added an RBI single down the first-base line off a Verlander 98 mph fastball. He finished 2-for-4 with two RBI and he also made two nifty plays at third.
The single was a hit that perhaps helped show he can at least compete against the toughest righthanders — he came into the game 0-for-7 with five strikeouts against righties, a poor follow-up to the showing against righties last October that got him benched in the playoffs.
But it also showed that there is still rust. Rodriguez did not initially run because, he said, he thought he had fouled the ball straight back.
“It’s been a long time,” Rodriguez said. “I’m just trying to get my feet wet out there.”
Added Girardi: “I think it’s unfair to expect him to be in mid-season form. Our hope is that he is, but you’re never sure when a guy comes off the DL — he had been there a long time. But today was a great day for him.”
Alfonso Soriano also homered — it was his 2,000th career hit — and Eduardo Nunez added a sacrifice fly as the Yankees built a 4-1 lead. But David Robertson gave up a homer to Brayan Pena in the eighth and the Tigers solved Rivera in the ninth, setting up Gardner’s moment.
“That’s the first time I’ve ever hit a walk-off homer and it might be the last,” said Gardner, who has five lifetime walk-off hits. “I’ve had a couple seeing-eye singles up the middle and through the left side, but never a home run like that. It felt good, but it didn’t matter if it was me or someone else. We just needed to get a win and I’m glad we made it happen.”
