On Tuesday night, Ivan “Pudge” Rodriguez tied Carlton “Pudge” Fisk for first overall with 2,226 games behind the plate. Rodriguez, now an Astro, will break the MLB record on Wednesday night in front of the Arlington, TX, fans who still adore the catcher for his accomplishments while wearing a Ranger uniform.
They stood and cheered loudly when he hit a fifth inning home run ruining the shutout bid of current Ranger ace Kevin Millwood. All this love, despite the fact Rodriguez carries with him the rumours of steroid abuse throughout his almost 19 seasons in the major leagues.
The 1999 AL MVP is a 14-time All-Star, seven-time Silver Slugger winner and was awarded a remarkable 13 Gold Gloves for his defensive prowess. Rodriguez is also a career .300 hitter and even stole a career-high 25 bases during his MVP campaign. In most eras, these numbers would guarantee him a spot in the Hall of Fame and he’d be in the thick of all conversations ranking the best of all time at the catcher position. However in this time of “guilty-until-proven-innocent” MLB, he may never receive the required votes for entry into Cooperstown.
If “I-Rod” cheated, he deserves to be excluded, but at the risk of being accused a steroid apologist – I’d vote for him. Obviously two wrongs don’t make a right, but the game was awash with steroid abuse during his career and, in my opinion, his accomplishments still separate him from the rest. The combination of offence and defence he brought to the field every day is head and shoulders above any other players’ accomplishments during the last 20 years.
What really stands out for me is the fact he was catching over 130 games a year while playing for the Rangers. I’ve been to Arlington many times, and I was exhausted from the heat by just watching the game. I’m well aware of the reported recuperative benefits of certain PEDs, but catching that often while playing half your games in the extreme heat of Texas is an accomplishment borne of desire and mindset.
I certainly do not want to diminish the accomplishments of Fisk, but it took him nearly 24 seasons to catch his 2,226 games despite the fact he played in the gentler climates of Boston and Chicago.
Fisk is an all-time great and deserves his Hall of Fame bust, as far as I’m concerned, Rodriguez should join him in Cooperstown.