BOSTON — Drama always finds Alex Rodriguez, so you could practically feel this controversial bit of history coming on this night. As he came up to pinch-hit in the eighth inning of a 2-2 game, he set off a bonfire of booing at Fenway Park from fans who had waited all night to welcome him back to town.
“I don’t usually notice the difference,” he said afterward with a laugh, “but that booing was pretty intense. It was pretty passionate.”
Then Junichi Tazawa fell behind 3-0, and the pitches weren’t close. A-Rod, who said he has rarely swung at 3-0 pitches throughout his career, this time thought of a conversation Joe Girardi had with him late in spring training, when the manager suggested he start being more aggressive in such situations.