A-Rod hit by pitch against Red Sox




BOSTON -- In the second inning, Boston Red Sox starter Ryan Dempster drilled New York Yankees third baseman Alex Rodriguez with 3-0, 92 mph fastball. In the sixth, Rodriguez drilled Dempster for a long solo homer that sparked the Yankees' comeback victory.

"It was the ultimate payback," Rodriguez said after the team's 9-6 win.

When Dempster plunked Rodriguez in the elbow with a fastball, it resulted in both benches being issued warnings, the ejection of Yankees manager Joe Girardi and the bullpens of both teams emptying onto the field. No punches were thrown.

With the Fenway crowd chanting "You're a cheater" to start the second inning, Dempster's first pitch to Rodriguez, an 89 mph fastball, sailed behind him, nearly catching him on the left leg.

After two more inside fastballs, Dempster's 3-0 pitch nailed Rodriguez squarely on the left elbow pad. Rodriguez interpreted it as Dempster's way of saying he did not like how Rodriguez has handled the 211-game suspension for performance-enhancing drug violations that Rodriguez is appealing.

"Whether you like me or hate, that was wrong," said Rodriguez, who finished the night with three hits and raised his average to .319 in 47 at-bats. "That was unprofessional and silly. It was kind of a silly way to get someone hurt on your team as well."

Dempster said, "I was just trying to pitch inside."

After the hit-by-pitch, home plate umpire Brian O'Nora issued the warnings as an enraged Girardi charged out of the Yankees' dugout, gesticulating wildly. Girardi was kicked out after one of his gestures, which looked like a left hook, nearly hit O'Nora.

After the more than-four-hour game, Girardi was still fuming, pointing out that Dempster had hit only five batters in 145 1/3 innings. He said that he will be "disappointed" if Dempster isn't suspended a long enough period by MLB that he misses a start. And that he wishes that Dempster had to bat for himself.

"You can't start throwing at people," Girardi said. "Lives -- people have had concussions. Lives are changed by getting hit by pitches. Whether I agree with everything that's going on, you do not throw at people and you don't take the law into your own hands. You don't do that. We're going to skip the judicial system? It's 'My Cousin Vinny.'"

Rodriguez was asked if he agreed that Dempster should be suspended.

"I'm the wrong guy to be asking about suspensions," Rodriguez said with a chuckle. "Holy mackerel."

After he was hit, Rodriguez stared out at Dempster before slowly walking to first base, trailed by Yankees trainer Steve Donohue. Groups of players from each team's bullpen spilled onto the field, as well as a few players from the Yankees' dugout, led by a clearly agitated Brett Gardner. But no punches were thrown and order was quickly restored.

"Joe's reaction was amazing," Rodriguez said. "Every single one of my teammates came up to me and said, 'Hit a bomb and walk it off.'"

In the sixth, Rodriguez belted the second pitch he saw from Dempster in the inning into the center-field seats to cut the Boston lead to 6-4. The Yankees would go on to take the lead and would not relinquish it.

As he reached home plate, Rodriguez stopped, clapped his hands together and theatrically pointed to the sky -- in a way similar to how Boston slugger David Ortiz celebrates homers -- as the crowd booed and chanted, "Throw it back! Throw it back!'' Rodriguez and his teammates were fired up when he returned to the dugout.

"I think Alex did the best retaliation by going deep," said Yankees starter CC Sabathia, who did not hit any Boston players in his 5 1/3 innings. "There is not much more to say about that. A guy drills you and then you go deep off of him. We get the win. He gives up seven. What can you say?"


video at the link http://espn.go.com/new-york/mlb/story/_/...-boston-red-sox

I don't think I like it. If you don't like the guy, strike him out. I would understand if he had attacked one of the Red Sox in some way. That was cheap.

Quote: se_ohio_conservative wrote in post #2

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I don't think I like it. If you don't like the guy, strike him out. I would understand if he had attacked one of the Red Sox in some way. That was cheap.

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