Now, He’s Lightning Rod

The city that never sleeps even overwhelmed Alex Rodriguez, whose All-Star credentials couldn’t shield him from the fallout of the New York Yankees’ historic collapse last season in the American League championship series.

While archrival Boston rallied to defeat the Yankees for the AL championship, becoming the only major league team to win a best-of-seven series after losing the first three games, Rodriguez went two for 17 in the final four games.

The Red Sox’s victory capped Rodriguez’s first season in pinstripes, which couldn’t have been more unsettling for baseball’s highest-paid player.

Rodriguez said life in the Big Apple was better these days, and he had two hits Friday night for the Yankees in a 6-3 loss to the Angels at Angel Stadium.

The Yankees have noticed a change.

“When Alex came over here, he was so used to being the one guy on a team that pretty much had to answer all the questions, produce all the offense and be the guy who was going to be the leader,” Manager Joe Torre said. “He joined a ballclub with a number of guys like that.

“The one thing we stressed to him when he first came here, but it took him some time to adjust to it, is that when you play here, and with the expectations what they are, it’s not necessarily the numbers that impress people as much as the quality of at-bats in situations.

“And he has been so much better in pressure situations in the game, whether it be stealing a base, going from first to third, making a defensive play, hitting a single, hitting a sacrifice fly, stuff like that.”

Rodriguez has appeared more comfortable, batting .318 with 27 home runs and 78 runs batted in.

“It has been fun again,” he said. “The first year was a huge adjustment, and just very difficult personally.

“I was in New York and I had a hard time. I was uncomfortable. I was getting adjusted to city living and everything that goes with New York.

“This year has just been fun, getting to know my teammates and getting to know the city of New York.”

Despite his uneasiness, Rodriguez was productive in his first season after having been traded from Texas to New York.

He batted .286 with 36 homers, 106 RBIs and 112 runs. It marked his seventh consecutive season with at least 36 homers, 106 RBIs and 110 runs.

Of course, crowds at Yankee Stadium expected more of the 2003 AL most valuable player, whose 10-year, $252-million contract still tops the chart in sports.

“Expectations here in New York are a little bit different than everywhere else,” shortstop Derek Jeter said. “And in New York, it’s not just whether you win or lose. It’s, ‘How’d you do during that win? How’d you do during that loss?’ There are a lot of things that are taken into consideration. I don’t know if you can prepare for it.”

Moreover, Rodriguez, a two-time Gold Glove award winner at shortstop, wasn’t prepared for what he perceived as a lack of understanding among media members about the difficulty of moving from shortstop to third base.

“A lot of people threw that right under the bridge like it was no big deal,” he said. “It’s just because of what people expect from me, and that’s cool because that’s the way I want it.

“But it was a humongous adjustment. It was a lot of change for one year.”