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Fans in Boston chant ‘We Want A-Rod!’ as Rodriguez sits on bench

In an odd sight, fans in Boston chanted in support of Alex Rodriguez.
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Yankees designated hitter Alex Rodriguez, who will retire after Friday’s game, was not in the lineup for New York’s 5–3 loss the Red Sox in Boston on Tuesday, and isn’t expected to start until Thursday. This not only upset Yankees fans, who wanted to see the slugger go for his 700th home run, it also peeved Red Sox fans. 

Fans in Boston chanted “We Want A-Rod!” as Chase Headley batted for the Yankees in the bottom of the ninth inning, something that came as a big surprise. The benching was highly-controversial, considering manager Joe Girardi had said on Sunday he’d find a way to play A-Rod if the slugger wanted to. The skipper going back on his word seemed to resonate with Sox fans.

When asked about the benching, Rodriguez said, “I’m disappointed. When I heard him say I can actually play in all four games, I was really excited to get some at-bats. I don’t know what happened.”

Girardi claimed he was simply “managing to try to win games.”

The Yankees sit 5 1/2 games back in the wild card standings with 50 games left.

– Kenny Ducey