Swipe by Rodriguez Draws Ire of Some

NEW YORK —  Once leading this American League championship series three games to none, now it is the New York Yankees who seem desperate, Alex Rodriguez resorting to a martial arts-like maneuver in an attempt to knock the ball out of Red Sox pitcher Bronson Arroyo’s glove in the eighth inning Tuesday night.

The ploy initially worked -- Rodriguez, after dribbling a grounder toward first base with Derek Jeter aboard, chopped Arroyo’s left forearm with his left hand and knocked the ball into foul territory, enabling Jeter to score with a run that would have trimmed Boston’s lead to 4-3.

But plate umpire Joe West ruled Rodriguez out on interference, Jeter had to return to first, and Arroyo got Gary Sheffield to pop to the catcher to end the inning.

“Joe West did some outstanding umpiring,” said first base umpire Randy Marsh, who was blocked out on the play. “As long as he is running normally, I mean -- you’re going to have collisions like that. But he cannot intentionally wave, slap at the man and try to knock the ball out of his glove.”

Rodriguez’s play raised a few eyebrows in the Red Sox clubhouse.

“Non-professional,” Boston first baseman Kevin Millar said.

“He’s a better player than that. He’s more professional than that.”

Rodriguez said it did not make sense to him that he could knock a defender down but could not attempt to knock the ball out of his glove.

“The umpire said I could have run him over, but he was coming at me, and I know the line belongs to me,” Rodriguez said. “He was reaching toward my stomach, and I feel I can knock it out.”

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Kevin Brown broke his left hand punching a wall on Sept. 3 and has a lingering back ailment, causing some concern that his recent struggles -- he gave up four runs in two innings of Game 3 and was unimpressive in his last regular-season start against the Red Sox -- are health-related.

Asked Tuesday night if Brown were physically capable of pitching well against the Red Sox tonight, Yankee catcher Jorge Posada said, “Yeah. Physically, yeah.”

Brown has not exactly embraced the New York scene, having alienated most of the local reporters with his churlish demeanor and then the organization when he broke his hand in a postgame fit.

But, Posada said, there’s little time left for that.

“You know,” he said, “I think he’s going to be more than ready to do everything he can to keep us in the game. He has to get ahead of the hitters and go to work. The main thing for him is strike one.”

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Six of the last nine LCS Games 7 have been won by the home team.... Bernie Williams’ seventh-inning home run was the 22nd of his postseason career, a record.... It is not expected to rain during Game 7 tonight.