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NEW YORK -- Yankees third baseman Alex Rodriguez was greeted with more boos than cheers as he stepped into the batter's box in the second inning of Sunday's game against the Detroit Tigers.But there were no boos -- only emphatic cheers -- from the Yankee Stadium crowd after he connected for his first home run of the season, a solo shot off Tigers right-hander Justin Verlander leading off the frame. EnlargeRodriguezAP Photo/Kathy WillensFans at Yankee Stadium cheer Alex Rodriguez on Sunday after he hit his first home run of the season, a solo shot off the Tigers' Justin Verlander to lead off the second inning."I think the fans have been incredible. I said that yesterday. You want to turn boos into cheers, you want to make them proud," Rodriguez said after going 2-for-4 with a homer and two RBIs in his team's 5-4 walk-off victory against the Tigers. "All you want is really an opportunity, and I think New York always gives you that. I feel that way walking around the city; the support has never been stronger. I'm very thankful."The embattled 38-year-old slugger lofted a 1-0, 92 mph fastball from Verlander into the left-field seats for his first regular-season homer since Sept. 14, 2012, against the Tampa Bay Rays."It's good to get that first one out of the way, and we needed this win," Rodriguez said. "It was good to win a series and a game against a good pitcher."It was Rodriguez's 648th career homer; he's now just 12 homers shy of tying Willie Mays on the all-time list. If Rodriguez ties Mays, he will get a $6 million bonus.Rodriguez also now has 1,951 career RBIs, and surpassed St. Louis Cardinals Hall of Famer Stan Musial for fifth place on that list."It means I'm getting old. When you think about names like that, it's obviously so humbling," Rodriguez said. "It makes you think you've been around a long time, but those are things you can reflect on after you're done playing
He better get as many as he can this year because he's done after September.
Nothing is stopping MLB from taking them all away. The NCAA gets away with it routinely.
