The Yankees having won 11 of their last 12 games and overtaken the AL East division lead from the Red Sox may seem like a significant thing to some, but not to Alex Rodriguez.
“It hasn’t been satisfying at all,” Rodriguez said. “To say it’s been satisfying would make it sound like we’ve accomplished something. We haven’t. We’re a long, long way from accomplishing anything.”
So the third baseman isn’t all that interested in the Yankees’ recent run of success or the fact that they hold a one-game lead in the division.
“Every game is like a playoff game,” Rodriguez said after going 1-for-2 with two runs scored in the Yankees’ 5-0 win over the Blue Jays last night at the Stadium. He also continued his sterling play at third, throwing out Aaron Hill on a tough, slow grounder in the eighth. “We’re not thinking about what Boston or Cleveland does. We just need to keep winning.”
Perhaps the only negative thing these days is A-Rod’s recent strikeout splurge. After whiffing in the fourth, he had struck out 13 times in 23 at-bats. But he’s not concerned about that.
“Striking out is a part of my game,” Rodriguez said. “But with that comes a lot of production. I’m not worried.”
He’s only interested in this late-season run toward the playoffs, thanks to solid play on their part, weak opponents and a Red Sox team that is wearing down, despite winning last night to stay a game behind the Yankees.
“We’re still in for a tough fight,” Rodriguez said. “We can’t look up now, see we’re in first place and be happy about it. We’re nowhere near our goal. At the end of the year, we’ll see where we are. Nothing matters if you’re not there in the end.”
Rodriguez is aware of all those factors, and while he was steadfast in being unimpressed in what the Yankees have done recently, he admitted that there was an improved feeling in the clubhouse.
“We’re more confident now than we were at times before,” Rodriguez said. “Winning will do that.”
The third baseman knows as well as anyone how unimportant his superb season will matter if the Yankees wind up on the outside of the postseason, looking in.
That’s one of the reasons he says he remains unconcerned about his status in the American League MVP race. Going into the final days of the season, Rodriguez appears to be in a virtual dead-heat with Boston’s David Ortiz for the award, something he insists that’s not on his mind.
“We all know that all that matters is winning,” Rodriguez said, “and if we don’t that, no one will care how I or anyone else did.”