The historic rivalry between the New York Yankees and Boston Red Sox took another interesting turn just ahead of the three-game set between the American League East rivals set to open Friday night at Fenway Park in Boston.
Lackey (7-10, 3.32 ERA in 21 starts), who is set to face off with Hiroki Kuroda (11-7, 2.33 in 24) Saturday, isn't too thrilled that Alex Rodriguez will be in the lineup, and feels like he shouldn't have to pitch against him.
"I've got a problem with it. You bet I do," Lackey said to the Boston Globe on Thursday. "How is he still playing? He obviously did something and he's playing. I'm not sure that's right. It's pretty evident he's been doing stuff for a lot of years I've been facing him."
Rodriguez, currently appealing a 211-game suspension for his connection to performance enhancing drugs stemming from the Biogenesis scandal, is frequently talked about in the Boston clubhouse by the team's pitchers, according to Lackey.
"Sure, we talk about it," Lackey said per the Globe. "But talking to the media about it is a little bit different. People have strong feelings. He took me deep the first time I faced him as a rookie, and he admitted to doing stuff back then. There are a lot of things I want back from him."
A-Rod took Lackey deep in 2002 while playing for the Texas Rangers, in a time where he admitted using steroids. The right-hander hasn't forgotten it, and the fact that Rodriguez was juicing only angers the pitcher more.
Rodriguez was suspended Aug. 5, but can continue to play until his case is heard by an arbitrator, likely after the season. A-Rod is the only one of the 13 players who were suspended in August that is appealing since everyone else received a 50-game ban while his was an unprecedented 211-game suspension stretching all the way through the 2014 regular-season.
Rodriguez has received support from some and the MLB has been under scrutiny be players and others thinking the suspension was too harsh, but not everyone is supportive as Lackey openly criticized the fact that Rodriguez is still playing this weekend. Lackey isn't the only Boston player upset with A-Rod playing.
Red Sox outfielder Jonny Gomes said he didn't think it was right for A-Rod to continue playing back when the suspensions came down earlier this month.
"I don't think so, to tell you the truth," Gomes told MassLIve.com when asked if A-Rod should still be permitted to play. "I can imagine being the pitcher, just knowing this guy is on or has done steroids. That's not an equal battle right there. I don't know how that would really work out. Good thing I don't pitch. It doesn't make much sense that he's still playing."
The drama and anger expressed by the Red Sox adds some much needed juice to what used to be a really heated rivalry. This year, with the fourth place Yankees (62-58) 8.5 games behind first place Boston (72-51), a mid-August game between the two doesn't have much spice.
It'll be interesting to see how Lackey approaches A-Rod when he steps into the batter's box against him Saturday.
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