As Alex Rodriguez was standing on first base in the fourth inning Saturday afternoon, Chicago White Sox first baseman Jose Abreu stood next to him laughing. Perhaps Abreu was in on the joke.
Because on the next pitch, as the White Sox left-hander John Danks lifted his front leg, Rodriguez, the Yankees’ 40-year-old designated hitter who is treated as delicately as a glass figurine, took off for second base.
If Danks and catcher Tyler Flowers were stuck somewhere between flat-footed and dumbfounded as Rodriguez dived headfirst into the bag, safely ahead of the throw.