Alex Rodriguez is on the board. The New York Yankees third baseman was credited with his first home run of the season after pulling an inside pitch from Detroit Tigers ace Justin Verlander out to left at Yankee Stadium on Sunday.
But as everything seems to go for A-Rod these days, this homer had a caveat. The ball really was a popup that just kept carrying to left, nearby the 318 mark down the line. Sure, pat yourself on the back all you want, A-Rod, but you didn’t hammer or crush that one. It was a 330, maybe 340-foot popup that went out. That ball is probably a fly out at half the MLB stadiums. We’ll check Home Run Tracker later to get the final ruling on the dinger.
How much does allowing a home run like that have to upset Verlander? Here’s a guy who was accused by Jack Clark of using steroids but has never been associated with juicing. Yet here he is, in the middle of a playoff race, allowing a home run to an admitted cheater who is appealing a suspension. You telling me that some PEDs wouldn’t have given that ball the extra 15 feet it needed to carry out of the stadium? That’s just the sort of home run ball that would have me royally ticked.
