Yankees “Old Men” Give Middle of Lineup Some Power
The New York Yankees sit in fourth place in the American League East 5 ½ games behind the first place Boston Red Sox.
The Yankees however are showing some signs of life going 7-3 over their past 10 games played including a win on Friday night over the last place Tampa Bay Rays.
The veterans showed on Friday night that they still have something left in their tanks and could help the Yankees get back into the race for the AL East title during the summer.
Alex Rodriguez and Carlos Beltran combined are 80 years old but more impressively have hit a combined 1,096 home runs.
Regardless of their ages, the two old men on the Yankees can still power a pitch out of the park with their swings. Friday night the two demonstrated that as A-Rod belted a two-run home run to center field that was measured at over 440 feet. Beltran’s blast was a bit shorter at 384 feet.
Both hit their home runs off Rays pitcher Chris Archer, who was pitching better than at any time in the last month.
If you thought for any moment that for Rodriguez this was just another homer all you needed to do was watch how he reacted when he connected with a 95-mph fastball.
He froze for an instant at home plate, as he watched the ball’s arc and then flipped his bay away, with what looked more like an awkward unpracticed flipping of the bat he really was never good at or interested in doing during his career.
Rodriguez has returned to the Yankees lineup after battling injury and gives the middle of the batting order something it has missed the past month – power. Beltran does as well. He is leading New York with 11 homes runs, as no other member of the team has double figures.
The home run by Rodriguez was No. 693 and by Beltran No. 403. Only Babe Ruth, Hank Aaron and Barry Bonds have hit more home runs than Rodriguez.
The home run by Rodriguez justified the decision by Joe Girardi the Yankees manager to put A-Rod back into the lineup at designated hitter despite missing 21 games due to a strained hamstring.
Girardi insists the team was to start the season with Rodriguez as the DH and Beltran playing in right field. Even though Rodriguez struggled to start the season, he was hitting better just prior to his injury and Girardi is confident having both in the lineup together will help the team’s offense.
The season is long and the old men will need their rest, but the two will help the Yankees as they try to fight back into the playoff hunt as the long hot summer approaches.
