NEW YORK -- The difference in Alex Rodriguez this October is so great that even those who haven't known him long can see it."I think he definitely has a new lease on life," said Yankees utilityman Jerry Hairston, who didn't join the team until late July. "He's very, very happy and he's enjoying the game again. And it's good to see as his teammate.
"He's always confident and he expects himself to succeed. And if he doesn't do it that at-bat, he'll do it next at-bat -- I think that's the new attitude he has."
Asking A-Rod himself about his state of mind is nearly worthless. As part of his renewed focus on the game rather than his usual extracurriculars, he has avoided interviews as much as possible and reverted to clichés.
"Not having any expectations and being in a good place all year. ... I don't talk much anymore, I don't ever have to explain myself, that's a good thing. ... I will say that in other postseasons I failed, and sometimes failed miserably. It certainly feels good to come through for my team and help the team win."
Rodriguez has been the prevailing individual story of this postseason. He came into the playoffs hitless in 18 straight postseason at-bats with men in scoring position (and 0-for-27 with men on base).
| Players to hit .400 with five or more home runs and 12 or more RBI in a single postseason: | ||||
| Player | G | AVG | HR | RBI |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Willie Stargell, '79 Pirates | 10 | .415 | 5 | 13 |
| Carlos Beltran, '04 Astros | 12 | .435 | 8 | 14 |
| Albert Pujols, '04 Cardinals | 15 | .414 | 6 | 14 |
| David Ortiz, '04 Red Sox | 14 | .400 | 5 | 19 |
| Alex Rodriguez, '09 Yankees | 9 | .438 | 5 | 12 |
| Source: STATS LLC | ||||
But the only choking he has done this postseason has been of that choker's label. He has three game-tying homers in the seventh inning or later, a .438 average and 12 RBI in nine games.
The difference?
"He trusts himself," closer Mariano Rivera said. "He's having fun, he's having fun, he's having fun. And that's the most important reason.
"[In the past] he was trying so hard. You can not have fun like that."
Somehow Rodriguez got back to having fun, and that seems to arise from his hip surgery in March -- soon after his career had bottomed out with his confession of steroid use.
The hip issue forced A-Rod's absence from baseball -- he stayed in Colorado for rehabilitation for a while and didn't rejoin the Yankees lineup until May 9 -- and thrust upon him the first uncertainty of his career.
"They took the one thing away from him that he's endeared his whole life," hitting coach Kevin Long said, "and that's baseball. And it wasn't there."And there was a part of him saying, 'I don't know if I'm going to be the player I once was.' And to see that kind of come back and to see this extraordinary player, on all levels, help our team -- it's the most fun I've had watching a player."
A-Rod returned with a homer on his first swing, and the Yankees went 90-44 from then on.
"When he rested his hip [in late June] and then he came back after that, " Long said, "he started gradually just getting better and better and better. And it seemed like at the end of the year he was peaking, and he was peaking at the right time.
"It seems like everyone, including the city and people, are on Alex right now. They've got his back."
