Alex Rodriguez inked 4 RBIs and hammered an MLB-leading 30th home run in a 12-0 shellacking of Ervin Santana and the Angels yesterday. The blast lifts A-rod to 22nd on the all-time list, besting Lou Gehrig and giving him the most home runs by a pinstriper at the All-Star break since Maris in '61.
The third-baseman's 86 RBIs is also a team-best at the break since Gehrig's 80 in 1935. Pummeling one of the league's best teams is "good momentum" for the bumbling Bombers, Rodriguez says. Chien-Ming Wang was masterful through 6 1/3, with RBIs from Hideki Matsui, Robinson Cano, and Bobby Abreu shouldering the ace to his 9th win. New York is 42-43 at the half, 10 behind Boston in the AL East. (More New York Yankees stories.)