A-Rod feels 'explosive' after passing Yankee legends Ruth, Gehrig on RBI list
Alex Rodriguez says he's just happy to be playing baseball again. It certainly doesn't hurt that he's setting records seemingly every few at-bats.
A-Rod, who's already supplanted Willie Mays for fourth on the home run leaderboard this season, passed two legends on the RBI list Wednesday with a line-drive homer off Chris Young in the New York Yankees' 4-2 win over the Kansas City Royals.
(Courtesy: MLB.com)
The 665th home run of his career gave Rodriguez 1,995 RBIs, according to the Elias Sports Bureau, surpassing Babe Ruth and Lou Gehrig for third on the all-time list, and setting a new American League record for runs batted in. A-Rod now sits one shy of matching Barry Bonds and five away from becoming the second player ever to drive in 2,000 runs (Hank Aaron).
“My dream was to be like Keith Hernandez and I never imagined I would play in the big leagues and certainly not passing my personal hero in Babe Ruth,” Rodriguez told reporters Wednesday. “I mean, all of us who love baseball. He’s our superhero.”
Rodriguez has been a revelation at the plate this season after serving a 162-game suspension for violating the league's drug policy, ranking second on the Yankees in homers, doubles, OBP and OPS. A-Rod's 11 home runs have him just 49 away from Ruth's mark of 714 for second all time.
"For me, in a weird way, the time off was a blessing in disguise. I was able to get some rest, to change my workout regimen a little bit. I just feel like I'm in a better place and more explosive than I've been."
| What's Next? | A-Rod | Current Rank |
|---|---|---|
| 700 HR | 665 | 4th |
| 2000 RBI | 1995 | 3rd |
| 2000 Runs | 1946 | 9th |
| 3000 Hits | 2981 | 30th |
As A-Rod and his soon-to-be 40-year-old body enters the second quarter of the season, several more major milestones loom, including the aforementioned RBI mark and 3,000 hit club.
"I'll take this chance to say that I'm extremely grateful for the comments from Hal Steinbrenner this week about me," Rodriguez said, referring to when the team owner called him a great asset to the club. "They certainly made me feel a lot more welcome and I wouldn’t be here breaking these records if he didn’t give me a chance to play on this team."