A-Rod homers three times in win over Kansas City - MLB

Hey, this guy’s pretty good.

Yankees third baseman Alex Rodriguez slugged three home runs and collected a total of five RBI in Saturday’s 8-3 defeat of the Royals. He delivered a solo shot in the sixth inning, a two-run shot in the seventh and another two-runner in the top of the ninth.

It took Rodriguez a grueling 47 at-bats to climb from career home run No. 599 to 600, but he now has five dingers in his last nine games and an .896 OPS over 47 August at-bats.

Not that the Yankees need the extra help, but A-Rod seems to be getting hot at the right time. He was exceptional in last year’s postseason, helping the Yanks to their 27th World Series title, and there’s a good chance he will play a major role this October.

The Yankees currently hold a two-game lead over the Rays for first place in the American League East with 46 games to play. They will wrap up a three-game set in Kansas City on Sunday afternoon.

ATLANTA (AP) Right-hander Darren O'Day, who posted a 4.15 ERA in 28 games with the Atlanta Braves in 2022, announced Monday he is retiring after 15 seasons for six teams in the major leagues.

O’Day said on his Twitter account “it’s finally time to hang ’em up.”

“The mental, physical and time demands have finally outweighed my love for the game,” O’Day said.

O’Day, 40, featured an unconventional sidearm delivery. He was 42-21 with a 2.59 ERA in 644 games, all in relief. He made his major league debut in 2008 with the Angels and pitched seven seasons, from 2012-18, for the Baltimore Orioles.

He posted a 4.43 ERA in 30 postseason games, including the 2010 World Series with the Texas Rangers.

O’Day also pitched for the New York Mets and New York Yankees. He pitched for the Braves in 2019-20 before returning for his second stint with the team last season. He became a free agent following the season.

He set a career high with six saves for Baltimore in 2015, when he was 6-2 with a 1.52 ERA and was an AL All-Star.