New York Yankees skipper Joe Girardi finally grew a pair and has decided to bench Alex Rodriguez for Game 5 of the ALDS vs. the Baltimore Orioles tonight. He will be replaced in the lineup for veteran third baseman Eric Chavez. Alex is 2-16 for the series and has struck out nine times. Raul Ibanez pinch-hit for A-Rod in Game 3 and single-handedly won the game for the Yankees with a game-tying homer in the bottom of the ninth and a walk-off bomb in the 12th inning. Ibanez will be getting the start at DH.
We wonder what this will to do to Rodriguez's psyche in the future. After witnessing Ibanez come up in a big spot and now being benched, there's no telling what could be going through his mind. Alex is one of the greatest ball players ever and hopefully can learn from this. To be fair, Rodriguez was having a decent season before he broke his hand when he was hit by a pitch in July. The injury left him sidelined for two months and since coming back he hasn't been able to find a groove. He'll get a chance to redeem himself if the Yankees move on.
[via ESPNNY]
