Joe Girardi Wasn't Happy White Sox Fans Cheered After Chris Sale Hit A-Rod

Alex Rodriguez is once and forever the ‘Lightning Rod.’ In the third inning of the White Sox’ 3-2 victory over the Yankees Tuesday night in Chicago, Chris Sale hit Rodriguez on the elbow. It was a glancing blow. Sale wasn’t “trying to send a message” that the players aren’t happy Rodriguez is appealing his 211-game PED-related suspension. It was just a regular old hit by pitch as it reads in the box score.

Of course White Sox fans, who recently watched as their team lost 10 straight games to fall nearly 30 games under .500, decided to cheer as Rodriguez trotted (pranced?) up the first base line. After the game Yankees manager Joe Girardi wasn’t happy fans cheered and tsk tsked parents for setting a bad example. Remember, above all else, during this entire sordid A-Rod mess we must think of the children first and foremost.

From CBS New York:

"“There’s something wrong with that,” Girardi said. “I often think that it starts from the adults. And if it was their child, would they want them to be hit? Because the kids will only repeat what the adults do.”"

Naturally, A-Rod being A-Rod just kind of laughed during the whole thing and in classic A-Rod fashion claims he didn’t even hear the cheers. In fact he loves the fans in Chicago.

"“I didn’t hear that,” he said. “It was the weirdest thing. I forgot to put my elbow pad on — probably the first time in 2,000 at-bats. Walking up to the plate, I said, ‘Whatever you do, don’t get hit in the elbow.’ On the second pitch, I got hit on the elbow. I couldn’t believe it. I love the fans in Chicago.”"

The Circus is just getting warmed up. Expect Yankee Stadium to be in full-on “Bronx Zoo” mode on Friday for Rodriguez’s first home game this season when the Yankees take on the American League Central-leading Tigers.