Francisco Rodriguez, a.k.a. “Frankie,” a.k.a. “K-Rod,” came into Friday night’s game in the ninth inning with his Angels ahead of the White Sox 3-0.
He gave up a walk and a line-shot single by Jermaine Dye, making it 3-1 with the tying runs on base.
But he struck out Jim Thome and Joe Crede to snap the Sox’s win streak at eight.
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Rodriguez raised both arms, looked to the sky and let out a yell.
Well, if the Sox had to lose one, at least they lost to a very good pitcher.
“No, it was devastating,” center fielder Brian Anderson said in the Sox’s clubhouse later.
Having to watch K-Rod’s mound act, he meant.
“Why do they let him get away with that stuff? Somebody should have a talk with that guy,” Anderson said.
“I just wish J.D. (Dye) had hit it out, stuck out his arms and stood there going, ‘Grrrr!'”
Certain others feel the same way.
In a game earlier this month, Cleveland’s David Dellucci came up against the Yankees’ Joba Chamberlain in a key eighth-inning at-bat.
Dellucci had delivered a pinch, three-run homer off the same pitcher two days before, but this time he struck out.
The young Yankee let out a primal scream and pumped his fist.
“If a hitter was to do something like that, they’d probably say it was bush. It’s kind of funny how a pitcher can get away with it,” Dellucci said that day.
“If he wants to yell and scream after a strikeout and dance around, I guess that gets him going … my home run was in a much bigger situation, but I didn’t dance around and scream.”
Rich Gossage, a.k.a. “Goose,” had a honk or two too.
A guy who struck out a lot of batters on his way to being 2008’s Hall of Fame inductee, the 57-year-old ex-Yankee gave a big Goose thumbs-down to the 22-year-old Chamberlain’s antics, saying: “There’s no place for it in the game. I’m old-school, I’m sorry. I didn’t see Dellucci celebrating when he hit the home run.”
Mike Mussina, a.k.a. “Moose,” offered a few well-chosen words on the subject as well.
“When you accomplish something, you should act like you assume you were going to accomplish it,” the 40-year-old, still-active Yankees pitcher said. “If you score a touchdown, act like you’ve been in the end zone before. If you hit a home run, act like you’ve hit a home run before. If you strike somebody out, act like you’ve struck somebody out before.”
Back on May 16, a game in Anaheim ended up being decided in the ninth inning when Rodriguez served up a game-winning, two-out single by Thome.
As those who have known Gentleman Jim throughout the years already can guess, Thome did not hoist his arms in glee and howl at the moon.
Not in a game in May, anyway. Come by again some night in October and maybe even a class act like Thome could joyfully pump a Kirk Gibson-style fist.
Rodriguez is an Angel, but no one expects him to wear a halo. It is simply that a pitcher can go overboard with this kind of thing. Losing teams do not like to be shown up.
The ninth inning of Friday’s game was a good battle of wills and skills, but it wasn’t exactly for the pennant.
U.S. Cellular Field trotted out the John Belushi rally cry from “Animal House” on the scoreboard for the 10,000th time, breaking the record of 9,999.
Orlando Cabrera lined a hit and the crowd sang the “Let’s Go, Go-Go White Sox” song.
One out later, the Angels called for K-Rod.
Carlos Quentin came to bat. A little kid in the stands held up a “Q-perman” sign, depicting the handsome Quentin as the man of steel. K-Rod wasn’t afraid of him but did walk him on four pitches.
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Up stepped Dye, who in the first inning cranked one 10 feet foul that would have been a three-run homer. Now it was the ninth and the Sox still didn’t have a run.
He ripped one into the left-field corner. It didn’t grant Anderson’s wish for a home run and a “grrr,” but it did bring the fans to their feet.
Rodriguez struck out Thome, who went back to the dugout, clapped his hands and pulled for Crede.
Crede’s game-ending double beat the Angels in Game 2 of the 2005 ALCS. This time he swung at a Rodriguez pitch low and outside by a foot for strike two, then swung and missed again to end the game.
K-Rod definitely enjoyed his K.
Crede was asked Saturday about the way the pitcher celebrated that last strikeout. He said, “A lot of guys probably feel you shouldn’t, but you see him do it all the time. Everybody’s got a different opinion about it. I’m sure if you’re on the same team you don’t mind it.”
But the White Sox definitely noticed.
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