A-Rod, Teixeira Take Different Paths, Become Yankee Heroes on Same Night

NEW YORK -- To truly become a star, Alex Rodriguez had to allow himself to be part of a constellation.

There used to be 8 million stories in the naked city, and now there is one. Everyone wants to know: How did A-Rod finally learn to come through in the postseason?

"He's not doing it for himself," Yankees hitting coach and A-Rod confidante Kevin Long told FanHouse on Friday after Rodriguez's two-run, game-tying homer in the ninth inning set up Mark Teixeira's walk-off homer in the 11th that beat the Twins 4-3.

"When you're up there doing it for yourself, you're going to have a lot more on your mind."

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And that was always Rodriguez's problem, too much on his mind -- and most of that having to do with himself.

But when a player is more worried about disappointing his teammates than himself, Long said, pressure dissolves into a fear of failure.

And that's where A-Rod is now.

"It's just been a lot of fun to be one of the guys and contribute," Rodriguez told FanHouse.

"The hip surgery's taught me a lot."

There isn't much need to recap his year: the revelation and confirmation of steroid use; the damaged hip labrum that cost him the first month of the season; his relationship with Kate Hudson and his apparent genuine desire to focus on baseball and pack up the circus he carried around with him in the past.

Rodriguez said Friday that because he had no idea how he would respond to the hip surgery, he figured 15 homers and 50 RBI would be pretty good.

He ended up with 30 and 100.

And while A-Rod always tried to say the right thing, such as being one of the guys, maybe he is finally living it too.

"I just felt that when he had his hip surgery," manager Joe Girardi said, "he had time to reflect and, and I think reflection is always important for people.

"[A-Rod's] not doing it for himself. When you're up there doing it for yourself, you're going to have a lot more on your mind."
-- Yankees hitting coach Kevin Long "For me, I went home and did it after last season. Reflected on things that you can do different. I mean, from the first time he stepped up to the plate for us in May, he's been getting big hit after big hit after big hit, and he's got to have a lot of confidence in those situations."

Rodriguez came into the series hitless in 19 straight postseason at-bats with runners in scoring position. He is 3-for-4 in such situations so far in this series, hitting .500 overall with five RBI.

"I think the first hit [Wednesday] was one that definitely made me feel like I checked in and started contributing a little bit," he said.

It took Rodriguez six Yankees seasons to get to the right spot. Teixeira -- 9-for-24 (.375) in six career playoff games -- may be doing it quicker.

The two have a lot in common: ex-Rangers, Scott Boras clients, reputations in the game as mercenaries.

But for Teixeira, somewhat in the vein of Derek Jeter, the grind-it-out mentality seems to come as naturally as the clichés.

"I wasn't swinging at bad pitches," said Teixeira, who had been 0-for-7 in the series before his single that preceded A-Rod's blast into the home bullpen off Joe Nathan.

"I wasn't getting results. My last at-bat against Nathan and the home run at-bat, I wanted to swing at good pitches. I wanted to get a good pitch to drive and hope for good results. And I think staying consistent allows you to succeed even when you haven't had the best game or the best series so far."

During games, Long positions himself on the home-plate end of the Yankees' first-base-side dugout. That way he can give hitters one last tip or thought before they head on deck.

But for Rodriguez in the ninth, Long said, "He knows Nathan. I didn't have to go into any detail. I didn't say anything."

Two innings later, with Teixeira going to face Jose Mijares, Long said, "Just keep swinging it. You're swinging good. It's been good for two games."

Playoff Walk-Off HR by Yankees
Year	Player
G1 1949 WS (vs. Bkn)	Tommy Heinrich (9th)
G3 1949 WS (vs. StL)	Mickey Mantle (9th)
G5 1976 ALCS (vs. KC)	Chris Chambliss (9th)*
G2 1995 ALDS (vs. Sea)	Jim Leyritz (15th)
G1 1996 ALCS (vs. Bal)	Bernie Williams (11th)
G1 1999 ALCS (vs. Bos)	Bernie Williams (10th)
G3 1999 WS (vs. Atl)	Chad Curtis (10th)
G4 2001 ALCS (vs. Sea)	Alfonso Soriano (9th)
G4 2001 WS (vs. Ari)	Derek Jeter (10th)
G7 2003 ALCS (vs. Bos)	Aaron Boone (11th)*
G2 2009 ALDS (vs. Min)	Mark Teixeira (11th)
* -- Ended series

The Yankees' deep and powerful offense seems potent enough to make up for any other deficiencies.

So although the bullpen was overmanaged by Girardi and faltered, with Phil Hughes and Mariano Rivera combining to allow two runs in the eighth, and although pinch-runner Brett Gardner inexplicably was doubled off third base when he was the winning run in the 10th, the Yankees took a 2-0 lead in the series.

"We kind of put the pressure on the other team in the ninth," said Teixeira, the 10th different Yankee with a walk-off hit this season.

"Sometimes early in the game guys say, 'Hey, we've got time, we've got time.' You know, we'll just be patient. It didn't happen earlier today. In the ninth, that's it. You only get one shot. And because of our lineup, because of the big bats, sometimes pitchers may get a little tight and we take advantage of it."

The Yankees have 16 walk-off wins this year -- five of them against Minnesota. They have come from behind for both wins in this series and 51 others in the regular season. They are 16-0 when tied after seven innings. They have not lost to the Twins (who left an ALDS-record 17 men on base, five in extra innings) in the Bronx since July 4, 2007, when Mike Mussina faced Johan Santana.

"There's not a guy out of place," Long said. "There really isn't.

"We haven't had many discussions about someone wavering or getting off-line. Alex has been great all year. He's the least of my worries.

"I'm telling you, they're not worried about themselves. Nobody is. For what has happened here since I've been here [2007] and where we're at now, it's a huge accomplishment. Give credit to whoever you want, but it's a team. It's not about any individual player. And there's huge individual guys in here."