KANSAS CITY, Mo. — Home runs are more sexy than RBIs, but Alex Rodriguez is closing in on the biggest name in baseball history when it comes to the latter.
Rodriguez hit a solo homer in the ninth inning of they Yankees’ 5-1 win over the Royals Saturday night at Kauffman Stadium. It was Rodriguez’s 1,991st career RBI, leaving him one back of Babe Ruth for a fourth-place tie on the all-time list since RBIs became an official statistic in 1920.
The homer was Rodriguez’s 664th and 10th of the season.
Two Royals fans dressed in Eric Hosmer and Brandon Finnegan jerseys met Rodriguez outside the Yankees’ clubhouse, where they received signed baseballs and had their pictures taken with Rodriguez in return for the ball he hit over the right-center field wall.
Mariano Rivera always treated Yankees pitching prospects with respect when they arrived in spring training or were promoted to the big leagues.
Rivera, however, never rushed to anoint anyone as the next biggest thing. Not Ryan Bradley. Not Phil Hughes. Not Ian Kennedy. Not Joba Chamberlain. Not Manny Banuelos. Not Dellin Betances.
On March 12, 2013, Rivera’s final spring training, he spoke glowingly of Jose Ramirez.
“It’s about time we have a kid like this,’’ Rivera said of the right-hander whose fastball reached 96 mph and change-up was graded at 70 on a scouts scale of 20 to 80. “I only know what I have seen this spring but it looks legit.You will see him in the big leagues soon.’’
Elevated from Triple-A Scranton/Wilkes-Barre Friday to take Chase Whitley’s roster spot and a place in the Yankees’ bullpen, Ramirez gave up four runs, three hits and walked two in a 12-1 loss to the Royals on Friday night at Kauffman Stadium.
Because he threw 35 pitches Friday night and wasn’t effective, Ramirez was returned to Triple-A on Saturday, and right-hander Bryan Mitchell was elevated to supply length in the bullpen.
In nine big league games Ramirez is 0-2 with an 8.18 ERA. He has given up 14 hits in 11 innings, fanned 10 and walked seven.
Mitchell, who some in the organization believe has a bigger ceiling than Shane Greene, was 2-3 with a 4.26 ERA in seven starts at Triple-A. He appeared in three games (one start) for the Yankees in 2014.
Ramirez, who had a rib cage problem in 2013, was limited 17 minor league games. Because of the same injury he pitched in eight minor league games and eight big league games in 2014.
Though the 25-year-old product of the Dominican Republic has pitched well in the minor leagues when healthy, the big leagues have been a different deal.
As for Whitley, he is due to have his right elbow examined by Dr. Chris Ahmad on Monday in New York. Whitley was diagnosed with a tear in his elbow after leaving Thursday night’s game in St. Petersburg, Fla. While rehabbing the injury is an option — that was the way the Yankees and Masahiro Tanaka went last year with a torn ulnar collateral ligament — Tommy John surgery is a strong possibility.
CC Sabathia’s victory Saturday night was his 93rd as a Yankee and tied him for 18th in Yankees history with Johnny Murphy and George Pipgras.
Dellin Betances and Andrew Miller still haven’t allowed an earned run this season.
Betances, who worked a perfect eighth inning, hasn’t allowed an earned run in 21 innings. That leads the AL for the most innings pitched without surrendering an earned run.
Miller, who pitched the ninth in a non-save situation, has gone 17²/₃ innings without giving up an earned run. That is second behind Betances.
Having started Brian McCann for six straight games manager Joe Girardi inserted John Ryan Murphy behind the plate to work with Sabathia. It was Murphy’s eighth start. McCann has made 29.
Murphy went 1-for-3 with a sacrifice bunt.