TAMPA, Fla. — On his first swing of the exhibition season, Alex Rodriguez launched a drive down the left-field line that was so deep and majestic he felt compelled to hold his follow-through for a moment, pausing to admire it.
As the ball sailed over the wall, the otherwise quiet crowd at Steinbrenner Field rose to applaud as Rodriguez made his familiar, loping, no-hurry-to-get-there jog around the bases.
The sight was a comforting one for the Yankees, who have had few others during their first two games, knowing that their lineup’s 40-year-old anchor arrived with his sharp eye and smooth swing as intact as his flair for the dramatic.