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A-Rod spoils Rays’ homecoming in 5-4 Yankees win
- Updated: April 18, 2015
The Tampa Bay Rays returned Friday to Tropicana Field after a successful road trip. Problem was, Alex Rodriguez returned, too.
The Yankees’ designated hitter crashed the Rays’ homecoming with a pair of home runs and four RBIs in New York’s 5-4 victory in front of an announced crowd of 15,752.
“I saw the ball well,” Rodriguez said. “I got some good pitches to hit and put my swing on it.”
The game featured another home run by a Rays rookie, the first time a lead has changed hands in a Rays game in 2015 and the first back-to-back home runs by the Rays this season.
But that was all wiped away by Rodriguez, who played his first game at the Trop since Aug. 25, 2013.
“He looked pretty good,” Rays reliever Kevin Jepsen said. “He’s still a big-league hitter with 600 and whatever homers, some MVPs. He’s a guy that you can’t just go up there and throw stuff over the plate and expect he’s not going to hit it. He’s still a tough at-bat. Tonight he killed us.”
With the score tied at 4 in the eighth inning, Carlos Beltran singled against Jepsen. Pinch-runner Brett Gardner put himself into scoring position by stealing second base, and Rodriguez finished the job with a single in front of center fielder Kevin Kiermaier.
Jepsen said there was never a thought of walking Rodriguez with first base open, especially because Rodriguez entered the at-bat 0-for-10 lifetime against Jepsen.
“No, I’ve had success against him,” Jepsen said. “I still think I made a great pitch. He had a great hit. He did a good job of hitting. He kept his hands back and went the other way. He tries to pull that ball, he rolls over, he’s out. It’s one of those situations where I tip my hat. He beat me and we’ll move on to (tonight).”
Rodriguez said he thought Jepsen might walk him to get to Drew.
“But he’s got great stuff,” Rodriguez said. “He’s got me out plenty in his career, so clutch, clutch stolen base by Brett, then I simplified my at-bat. I knew with a single we had action.”
Rays rookie Nathan Karns wasn’t as sharp as he was in his last outing at Miami, but he battled his way through five innings. He allowed just two hits, but those hits were home runs by Rodriguez, a 471-foot drive to the party deck in left-center field in the second inning, and Stephen Drew in the fourth inning.
“No doubt it was a struggle for him,” Rays manager Kevin Cash said. “But he battled a pretty tough lineup.”
The Rays took a 4-2 lead in the fourth inning on back-to-back homers by Allan Dykstra and Logan Forsythe off Yankee starter Adam Warren.
Dykstra’s came with two on and clanked off the right field foul pole to give the Rays a 3-2 lead. It was Dykstra’s first career home run and it came with his dad, Randy, watching him play in person for the first time since he was called up to the big leagues last week.
It was also the first time this season the lead has changed hands in a Rays game.
Forsythe followed with a home run over the left-center fence.
The inning began with an infield single by Evan Longoria
Rodriguez tied the score at 4-4 in the fifth inning with a two-run homer off Ernesto Frieri.
“(Frieri) goes down and away, down and away, and decided to repeat the same pitch and left it in the middle,” Cash said. “The guy’s hit a lot of home runs. He doesn’t miss them.”
