Move over, Iron Horse. Make room for A-Rod.
In one of the more dramatic moments of his Yankees career, Alex Rodriguez not only tied a game, he matched Lou Gehrig for the most grand slams in baseball history with his line drive over the left-field fence in the eighth inning Tuesday night at Turner Field.
The shot was Rodriguez’s 23rd career grand slam and 10th homer of the season. It also wiped out the four-run lead the Atlanta Braves had built against Yankees starter CC Sabathia.
Rodriguez’s homer came on a 3-2 pitch from reliever Jonny Venters, a two-seam fastball clocked at 93 miles per hour. With Derek Jeter (single),Curtis Granderson (single) and Mark Teixeira (walk) aboard, Rodriguez — who had been ahead 3-0 in the at-bat before taking a strike and fouling off two more — sent the pitch on a low line into the left-field seats, drawing a roar from the Turner Field crowd.
It was Rodriguez’s first home run since a blast on June 3 off Justin Verlander, a span of 26 at-bats.
And considering the Yankees, and Rodriguez’s record of futility with the bases loaded this season — they were batting just .149 in that situation, and A-Rod just .100, on one single in 10 at-bats — the blow was a pleasant surprise.
Rodriguez now has 29 RBIs on the season and 639 career homers, fifth on the all-time list and 21 shy of Willie Mays.
WRITTEN BY Wallace Matthews | ESPNNewYork.com & FULL STORY HERE
