Rodriguez finally hits HR in 42nd at-bat, passes McGwire

Alex Rodriguez joked that he thought he might never hit one out of the park this season. Silly as it sounds, perhaps 41 at-bats without a home run can shake the faith of even the best of long-ball hitters.

But thanks to one slip-up by Rangers pitcher Doug Mathis, Rodriguez no longer has to entertain such thoughts.

He drilled a 2-and-1 pitch over the right-centerfield fence in the fourth inning of yesterday's 7-3 win over the Rangers, the 584th homer of his career. That broke a tie with Mark McGwire and gave A-Rod sole possession of eighth place on the all-time list.

Rodriguez sauntered into the clubhouse after the game, seemingly unfazed by the throng of cameras by his locker. With his newly minted World Series ring prominently displayed on his right ring finger, he spoke matter-of-factly about the milestone, refusing to get caught up in the moment.

"It was exciting to get one over the fence," said Rodriguez, who told reporters he was unaware that he had passed McGwire until five minutes before he addressed them.

When asked if he really thought he'd never hit a home run this season, he smiled and said: "It felt like it. It seemed like everyone had one and they were all ragging on me that I hadn't checked in yet. It's nice to get one, especially in a win."

The Yankees appeared well on their way to victory before Rodriguez's blast, thanks in large part to a two-run homer by Derek Jeter in the third that produced a 6-0 lead. But A-Rod's opposite-field shot was a welcome sign for Yankees fans who have wondered when he and Mark Teixeira, who had 69 homers between them in 2009, would go deep.

Manager Joe Girardi, however, said before the game that he wasn't worried about the production of his cleanup hitter.

"Home runs usually come in bunches for a lot of players. Alex has been productive in his at-bats, so I'm pleased with that," Girardi said of Rodriguez, who went 2-for-4 Saturday and is hitting .279 (12-for-43) with seven RBIs.

"The fact that he hasn't hit a home run in 10 games, does that alarm me? No. Guys like Alex can hit five in a week. Sometimes that's how it happens. I think with his at-bats . . . he's come up with big RBIs for us, so the fact that he doesn't have a home run doesn't bother me."

Rodriguez - whose homerless streak of 41 at-bats was his longest since 1995, when he homered in his 49th at-bat as a member of the Seattle Mariners - said he's finally settling into a rhythm in the batter's box.

"I felt pretty good," Rodriguez said of his previous at-bats. "I'm getting into the groove a little bit. Overall, I feel pretty good. And today was a good start."

But A-Rod, who needs only three more homers to surpass Frank Robinson and move into seventh place, said he doesn't want to get caught up in the milestones just yet.

"Obviously, you acknowledge that and it feels good to keep moving up the line," he said. "But I think there will be a time and place for reflection, and that'll be many years after I'm done playing. For now, the goal is to win games and help the team win."