Nightmare Game For A-Rod: Yankees Star Ks For 2,000th Time, Breaks Hand In Next At-Bat
SEATTLE (WFAN/AP) — It doesn't get much worse than this for a Major League Baseball star.
Yankees third baseman Alex Rodriguez struck out for the 2,000th time in his major league career when he went down swinging against Seattle's Felix Hernandez.
In his next at-bat, A-Rod was hit by a pitch from Hernandez and suffered a broken left hand.
"It's difficult. Tough break," Rodriguez said after the 4-2 loss Tuesday night. "I never thought it was fracture, but it was. It's a tough blow. Tough blow."
Rodriguez struck out in the sixth inning on Tuesday night when Hernandez got the Yankees star on a 2-2 changeup. Seattle's crowd erupted into cheers as they usually do when Rodriguez strikes out against his former team.
Rodriguez is fifth on the all-time career strikeouts list, 597 behind leader Reggie Jackson and second among active players behind Baltimore's Jim Thome.
Then, in the eighth inning, the pitch that got away from Hernandez. A-Rod immediately fell to the ground, wincing in pain and was removed from the game.
"It was a changeup to A-Rod," Hernandez said. "I feel bad."
Rodriguez was the third player to be hit by a pitch from Hernandez.
The Yankees said afterward that A-Rod had a non-displaced fracture of the left hand, and there was no timetable for his return. He will be placed on the disabled list and will see the team's doctor when the club returns to New York after Wednesday's series finale.
Hernandez also hit Derek Jeter and former teammate Ichiro Suzuki.
"You find out how good you are. Other guys are going to have to step up. We can't feel sorry for ourselves because no one else is going to," said Jeter. "It's going to be a challenge, but it's been a challenge for all the injuries we've had this season."
What were your immediate thoughts when A-Rod went down? Be heard in the comments below...
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