A-Rod hit by pitch in this World Series for third time
PHILADELPHIA - For the second straight night, the very first pitch Alex Rodriguez saw from a Phillies pitcher could be described as hittable.
Painfully hittable.
Rodriguez was hit by the first pitch thrown to him by righthander Joe Blanton in Game 4 of the World Series last night, just like the previous night when Cole Hamels hit A-Rod with the first pitch of his first at-bat.
The Yankees' third baseman also was hit by a pitch in the seventh inning of Game 3.
The last time a player was hit by a pitch three times in the World Series was 1925, but getting his name in the record book was certainly far from Rodriguez's mind.
Based on A-Rod's reaction after getting hit by a pitch again last night, the Yankees cleanup hitter sure didn't seem to think this HBP was any coincidence.
There was a runner on third and one out when Rodriguez stepped to the plate, meaning there were two open bases when Blanton hit Rodriguez in his side with a fastball that clocked in at 90 mph.
Curious timing? Rodriguez sure seemed to think so.
Immediately after getting hit, Rodriguez stood upright in the batter's box, staring upward as if he was pondering what had just happened to him.
The chances he would react with any more aggression were slim, considering he didn't want to put himself in jeopardy of getting thrown out of a World Series game.
But by standing there and not immediately running toward first, Rodriguez got his point across.
As a handful of Phillies converged on the mound to speak with Blanton, the four infield umpires held an impromptu meeting in between the mound and the plate.
After about a minute of discussion between the umpires, plate umpire Mike Everitt signaled a warning to both dugouts, meaning the next hit batter would result in the automatic ejection of the pitcher and manager.
A semi-regular occurrence during the regular season, the act of issuing warnings is rarely seen in the postseason, especially the World Series, because of the ramifications that come with it.
Pitchers are likely to be less hesitant to pitch inside to avoid hitting a batter, which could then hinder the effectiveness of a pitcher.
That's why the Yankees' dugout erupted with displeasure when the warnings were issued, and manager Joe Girardi sprinted out of the dugout to speak with crew chief Gerry Davis, who was the third-base umpire for Game 4.
Undoubtedly, Girardi argued that issuing a warning was undue punishment to the Yankees, especially considering their pitcher - ace CC Sabathia going on three days' rest - hadn't even thrown a pitch yet.
