Chicago Fans Cheer After A-Rod Hit By Pitch; Girardi Miffed
NEW YORK (CBSNewYork) -- The boo-birds came out in force again Tuesday for Alex Rodriguez.
But then something different -- a swelling of cheers from the crowd in Chicago.
The fans let out a healthy roar after A-Rod was grazed on the elbow by a Chris Sale pitch in the third inning. And that did not sit well with Yankees manager Joe Girardi.
"There's something wrong with that," Girardi said after New York's 3-2 loss to the White Sox. "I often think that it starts from the adults. And if it was their child, would they want them to be hit? Because the kids will only repeat what the adults do."
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A-Rod, who is appealing his 211-game suspension related to MLB's latest performance-enhancing drugs scandal, took it in stride.
"I didn't hear that," he said. "It was the weirdest thing. I forgot to put my elbow pad on -- probably the first time in 2,000 at-bats. Walking up to the plate, I said, 'Whatever you do, don't get hit in the elbow.' On the second pitch, I got hit on the elbow. I couldn't believe it. I love the fans in Chicago."
Rodriguez picked up a hit and reached base three times Tuesday. He's 2 for 6 since making his season debut Monday, hours after being hit with the suspension.
He was booed straight through his first two games at U.S. Cellular Field, and it'll likely be the same in every ballpark for the remainder of the season. Yes, even Yankee Stadium.
At least he'll have a moment of adoration during roll call in the Bronx.
"Not for nothing, I feel like the guy needs a little bit of love," Bleacher Creature "Bald Vinny" Milano told CBSNewYork.com on Tuesday. "It feels like nobody's in his corner. For that brief minute (during roll call) we can show him that, yes, we're in your corner, we've got your back. If you're fighting for the Yankees and you're trying to help us win, God damn it I'm gonna yell for you."
The Yankees will wrap up their series in Chicago Wednesday. Rodriguez's first home game will be Friday against the Detroit Tigers.
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