So it’s come to this. Alex Rodriguez, 37, 14-time All-Star, three-time MVP, and erstwhile challenger to Barry Bonds’s home run record, is now a platoon player. Well, Jason Hammel the starting pitcher for the Orioles is a right-hander, so it’s not even about strict platooning. It’s about wanting someone else in the lineup.
Yankees Game 5 lineup: A-Rod out, Chavez in
Yankees manager Joe Girardi famously pinch-hit for Rodriguez in Game 3, and Raul Ibanez rewarded him with two home runs to win the game. Girardi less famously pinch-hit for Rodriguez in Game 4, using Eric Chavez, who lined out to end the game.
In Game 5, it might be Rodriguez who does the pinch-hitting, as Chavez gets the start at third:
1. Derek Jeter - SS
2. Ichiro Suzuki* - LF
3. Robinson Cano* - 2B
4. Mark Teixeira# - 1B
5. Raul Ibanez* - DH
6. Nick Swisher# - RF
7. Curtis Granderson* - CF
8. Russell Martin - C
9. Eric Chavez - 3B
*. CC Sabathia - LHP
A-Rod, out. Guy hitting ninth, in. Goodness.
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