Rangers shortstop Alex Rodriguez, who returns to Seattle tonight as an opponent for the first time, has been named the American League’s Player of the Week for April 9-15.
Rodriguez batted .450 (9-20) with four homers and 13 RBIs in six games during the week, leading the AL in homers, RBIs, total bases (22) and slugging percentage (1.100). He was 6-for-10 with four homers and 13 RBIs in the three-game sweep of Oakland. Rodriguez drove in 11 runs in the final two games, one shy of the club record for RBIs in consecutive contests set by Rusty Greer on Aug. 22-23, 1997, vs. Chicago.
A-Rod has homered in three straight games, one shy of the Texas club record, which has been accomplished six times. His career-best is home runs in five straight games — Aug. 11-16, 1999, with Seattle. Rodriguez had two homers in one game for the 15th time in his career on Sunday, his 16th overall multi-homer game (he has one three-home run game to his credit). He is 9-for-14 with four homers and 13 RBIs in his last four games after going 8-for-33 with no homers and two RBIs in Texas’ first nine contests.
This marks the fifth time that Rodriguez has been awarded the AL’s weekly award. He last won it in the second week of the 2000 season, April 10-16.