Baseball Despite Past, A-Rod’s Feat Still Impressive by Staff Post June 20, 2015 (USATSI) Only 28 players in the history of Major League Baseball had reached 3,000 hits before Friday night. Of those 28 players, only one – Derek Jeter – had done so while wearing pinstripes. Only two, Jeter and Wade Boggs, had achieved the monumental feat with a home run. On Friday, to a soundtrack of Jay-Z and a roaring fan base that gave Yankee Stadium a playoff-like atmosphere, Alex Rodriguez added his name to each of those lists when he lifted a fly ball over that short right field porch in the Bronx. Despite years of cheating, wrongdoing, lying to the public and trying to take others down with him, “A-Rod” was still able to make some history and bask in it with the support of the Yankees’ faithful. It was a rather nice moment for a guy that has not had too many in the past year or two. It was a moment worth recognizing. Make no mistake; it would have been inappropriate to stop play for any length of time with an on-field ceremony akin to what was done when Jeter notched his 3,000th hit. That day the Tampa Bay Rays gave their opponent, someone who has always represented the sport in the best ways possible, a standing ovation. Of course, Rodriguez has not always been that perfect representative – instead, he has been a stain on the game for the better part of the last six or seven years – and so it was fitting when the Detroit Tigers’ bench did not even flinch following the milestone hit. As apt as Detroit’s seemingly unified decision not to give Rodriguez a standing-o was, the slugger’s latest feat should be recognized. Like the the Tigers, you do not have to clap. You do not even have to like the guy (If you have read my columns, you know that I am no fan). You do not have to tip your cap or forgive his past transgressions or say a single nice thing about him. But you do have to respect the feat. While steroids and performance-enhancing drugs do not boost hand-eye coordination, it is reasonable to argue that those substances made many of Rodriguez’s hits possible. Which ones and how many? No one knows, but the clouds of drug use will always cast a dark shadow over Rodriguez’s career and milestones, as they should. But forget all that and the what-ifs for a minute. Instead, remember that in 146 years of Major League Baseball, only 29 players have achieved 3,000 hits. Some may be more popular than others, but any name on that short list is impressive, even Rodriguez’s. Post Views: 1,053 The following two tabs change content below.BioLatest Posts Staff Post Latest posts by Staff Post (see all) In The Zone Announces Initial Podcast Lineup - November 13, 2020 The Essential Resources You Need to Start Your Own Gym in 2020 - February 6, 2020 Wilder vs Fury II – How the second fight will be different to the first? - February 5, 2020 Early turnovers, defensive struggles plague the Scarlet Knights - January 26, 2020 Related Topics3000 HitsAlex RodriguezNew York YankeesYankee Stadium Click to comment You must be logged in to post a comment Login Leave a Reply Cancel replyYou must be logged in to post a comment. Newsletter Subscription Can't Miss Posts! Women in Sports: NHL Network Host, Jackie Redmond by Nicholas Durst | posted on March 4, 2019 Women in Sports: Podcast Host, New York Riptide Sideline Reporter, Dani Wexelman by Luke Porco | posted on March 3, 2020 From Paramus High School to CBS Sports, Spero Dedes is making waves in sports broadcasting by Sunil Sunder Raj | posted on October 27, 2020 Lochte, Dressel and Ledecky all Chasing Gold at 2021 Tokyo Olympics by Anthony Paradiso | posted on April 18, 2021 “Overtime” l Ep. 28: TopSpin Celeb-Athlete Tournament – Dec. 6, 2018 by Stefany Romero | posted on December 19, 2018 More in Baseball You Know I’m Right, Episode 112: New York Jets’ Insider Brian Costello (Audio/Video) On the 112th episode of You Know I’m Right, Nick Durst and Joe Calabrese are joined by... You Know I’m Right, Episode 109: The Athletic’s Marc Carig (Audio/Video) On the 109th episode of You Know I’m Right, Nick Durst and Joe Calabrese are joined by... You Know I’m Right, Episode 108: WFAN’s Sweeny Murti (Audio/Video) On the 108th episode of You Know I’m Right, Nick Durst and Joe Calabrese are joined by... You Know I’m Right, Episode 107: New York Post’s Columnist Mike Vaccaro (Audio/Video) On the 107th episode of You Know I’m Right, Nick Durst and Joe Calabrese are joined by... New York Yankees’ Alex Rodriguez gets 3,000th hit, but not the Ball Thunder win a Pair before heading on Road