SI

Alex Rodriguez Had Some Astoundingly Dumb Analysis About Late-Game Leads

In Monday’s Hot Clicks: A-Rod makes another head-scratching comment in the booth, a roundup of Week 1 NFL action and more.

Dan Gartland

Come on, man

For one of the best players of all time, Alex Rodriguez really has a lot of bad ideas about baseball. I’ll never forget the time he talked about the importance of leading by an even number of runs instead of an odd number of runs. 

What he said on Sunday night wasn’t as nonsensical as that, but it was close. 

With two outs and two runners in scoring position in the bottom of the eighth, Chris Taylor came to the plate for the Dodgers, hoping to add a few insurance runs and help salvage a two-game split against the Astros. Or was he trying to add some insurance runs? A-Rod thought maybe it was a good idea to head to the ninth with the score as is.

(Click here if the video doesn’t load.)

“What you need to put the nail in the coffin for the Dodgers tonight is a clean 1-2-3 from [Kenley] Jansen in the ninth,” Rodriguez said. “This is a big at-bat for Taylor. You almost want to keep the game 5–1 to see how Jansen reacts. It will be a totally different outing if it’s 7–1.”

Before I blast A-Rod, let me explain what I think he means. Jansen was coming off back-to-back rough outings. He surrendered three runs (including a two-run homer) against the D-Backs on Tuesday, then, on Saturday against Houston, allowed five runs on five hits without recording an out. So there’s something to be said for wanting to see him perform in a high-pressure situation. A-Rod also isn’t saying that Taylor should keep the bat on his shoulder and make sure the Dodgers head to the ninth up by only four, he’s just saying it’s not the worst thing in the world if you don’t stretch the lead. 

Still, this is a bad point by A-Rod. A four-run lead and a six-run lead in the ninth inning aren’t wildly different. In either instance, things have to go sideways in a major way before the pitcher starts sweating. It’s also insulting to Jansen. He crapped the bed in a save situation the night before, but this is his 11th season in the majors and his ninth year as a full-time closer. He knows how to pitch in a high-pressure situation. The size of the lead he’s protecting in this one particular inning isn’t going impact his psyche in any meaningful way or tell manager Dave Roberts anything he didn’t already know. 

Taylor ended up hitting a homer to stretch the L.A. lead to 8–1. Jansen, clearly feeling comfortable on the mound with that luxurious seven-run lead, worked a 1-2-3 ninth inning, just like Rodriguez said the Dodgers needed.

I generally think A-Rod is a good analyst, but his talents aren’t properly used in the booth calling a game. In the laid-back environment of a low-stakes regular season game, Rodriguez has too many opportunities to fill dead air with pearls of wisdom like this or to start talking like he’s on Shark Tank. Put him in a studio with other great baseball minds and let him opine on the finer points of the game for a few minutes at a time. That’s when you get pure gold like this video from 2016:

The best of SI

Takeaways from the first Sunday of NFL action. ... Michael Vick is helping people understand their voting rights post-incarceration. ... Did the NBA really need to tell us why Danuel House got ejected from the bubble? ... The Clippers were supposed to be championship contenders but instead are getting pushed to a Game 7 by the Nuggets.

Around the sports world

Bruce Arians didn’t hold back in his assessment of Tom Brady’s two picks. ... Ron Rivera, who was diagnosed with cancer this summer, had to get an IV at halftime of Washington’s game, so second-year quarterback Dwayne Haskins gave a pep talk before the team mounted an enormous second-half comeback. ... Dan Snyder says “Washington Football Team” could be the franchise’s permanent name. ... Cam Newton got in a scuffle with some Dolphins players after his Patriots debut. ... A Texas football player quit the team in the middle of the Longhorns’ game against UTEP. ... A University of Buffalo basketball player is accused to stabbing a cross-town rival in the leg during a pickup game.

The team in black is going to run nothing but tackling drills all week

The Cowboys got screwed out of a game-saving play here

They don’t get more wide-open than this

This guy is basically the Belgian Josh Allen

Good luck catching this guy

Joe Burrow used his legs for his first career TD

And then the Bengals lost when their kicker hurt himself on a potential tying field goal

Like getting hit by a truck

Content is unavailable

Like getting hit by a feather

Aaron Donald is a freak

All you gotta do is secure that and you win!

I need to know what was in the metal jug

Content is unavailable

Look at the head of hair on that little guy

Pau Gasol named his daughter after Kobe’s daughter

Content is unavailable

It was all down hill for the Eagles after this

Ridiculous

Stay home!

Me when a bee gets anywhere near me

Munenori Kawasaki came out of retirement to join a Japanese independent league and hit a homer on the first pitch he saw

(You may remember Kawasaki for giving some truly delightful interviews during his time with the Blue Jays.)

Not sports

A 40-pound South African serval cat escaped from its home in New Hampshire but was recovered safely. ... Warner Bros. is refusing to share detailed information about how Tenet is performing at the box office.

I’d be somewhat disappointed if I bit into this and it didn’t taste like fruit punch

The shirt is cool but I’m concerned about someone leaving a shirt in their car undisturbed for years

A good song

Email dan.gartland@si.com with any feedback or follow me on Twitter for approximately one half-decent baseball joke per week. Bookmark this page to see previous editions of Hot Clicks and find the newest edition every day. By popular request I’ve made a Spotify playlist of the music featured here. Visit our Extra Mustard page throughout each day for more offbeat sports stories.

Published
Dan Gartland
DAN GARTLAND

Dan Gartland is the writer and editor of Sports Illustrated’s flagship daily newsletter, SI:AM, covering everything an educated sports fan needs to know. He joined the SI staff in 2014, having previously been published on Deadspin and Slate. Gartland, a graduate of Fordham University, is a former Sports Jeopardy! champion (Season 1, Episode 5).

Home/Extra Mustard