New York Yankees defeat Philadelphia Phillies to get off to a dream Spring Training start – MLB News
New York Yankees hammered Philadelphia Phillies 7-4 in a Spring Training game at George M. Steinbrenner Field in Tampa, Florida. Yankees made the most of available opportunities to dominate their opponents in almost all departments of the game. Alex Rodriguez
got his Spring Training off to a dream start as he made the Phillies’ throwers pay heavily for their unforced errors. The Phillies, on the other hand, had their chances but they were unable to control their nerves under pressure, which proved to be the difference
at the end of the game.
Showing his composure and class, A-Rod hit a home run on the first pitch he faced from Phillies’ pitcher Roy Halladay. He added an RBI double and a single later to help the Yankees establish complete control over the contest. Rodriguez suffered from various
forms of injuries last season as his career batting average dropped considerably. Hitting an opposite field solo homer in first inning of the game, he made the best possible start to his 2012 Spring Training campaign. Although the striker did not play in Yankees
Opening Day game on Saturday, he looked in terrific touch on his first MLB appearance of this season.
Rodriguez has done similar things in the past. After a long break in 2009, he hit a three run homer on the first pitch he saw. Looking completely out of sorts, Alex Rod managed to hit only 16 home runs with 62 RBI’s in 99 games last season. Rodriguez’s fans
will be hoping him to improve those numbers by being more durable and reliable in 2012.
"I'm just lucky that it was the first inning, that he's not quite warmed up yet," Rodriguez said. "He's probably going to be mad next time I face him. He's the greatest pitcher in our game. It's better than striking out. It's good to feel good and get off
to a good start."
"One of my big parts of my job this year is keeping him healthy and fresh," Yankees Manager Joe Girardi said. "Three really good swings. Seeing him go to right field the first swing and then pull two balls just tells me that he feels explosive."
Roy Halladay displayed some high quality pitching skills for Philadelphia Phillies. Allowing only one run on two hits and striking out three in two innings, he kept his team in the hunt for most part of the game. Hunter Pence was the leader of the hitters
pack as he hit a crucial two run homer for the Phillies. Yankees Manager Joe Girardi was also delighted at his team’s victory and he aimed to give similar results during regular season as well. It will be interesting to see if Yankees can live up to the expectations.
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