NEW YORK -- There is an acceptance now with Alex Rodriguez. In his own clubhouse, he is one of the guys with his teammates. He is like a big brother they can tease but still respect.
Outside of baseball, he can make a trip to Los Angeles to participate in an awards show with the greatest athletes and fit in. For A-Rod, who was thought by many to be a pariah after being snared in the Biogenesis scandal and acting disgracefully during the appeal process, being a part of the ESPYS for his on-field comeback meant something to him.
So now, after baseball's All-Star break, the story is moving to the next phase. Instead of if Rodriguez is accepted and somewhat productive in his return from the largest performance-enhancing drug suspension in major league history, it is: Can he continue to be one of the leaders to return the Yankees to the playoffs for the first time since 2012?
On Friday, to begin the second half of the season, Rodriguez was front and center again, unlocking a tie score in the seventh with an opposite-field solo homer into the Yankees' bullpen. It made it 4-3, which ended up being the final score in a win over the Mariners.
Rodriguez finished his seventh-inning swing off lefty Joe Beimel by leaving his bat up in the air as if he were posing for a statue maker. It was a classic pose.
He ran around the bases for the 19th time this season, which is the most he has done that since 2010. It was his ninth homer of the year that has put the Yankees ahead.
So a season that started with many saying the Yankees would be better off without him is now more than halfway through, and the question is: Where would the Yankees be without him?
"He's been amazing," said Chris Young, who hit his 11th homer Friday. "He's been one of the most clutch guys in our lineup. He's been consistent all year with quality at-bats time in and time out. He seems to come through in big situations."
In a mediocre AL East, the Yankees (49-40) -- with a chance Saturday to go 10 games over .500 for the first time this season -- could possibly run away with the division. After Friday's win, they are now 4½ games up. They would not be there without A-Rod.
Rodriguez, 40 at the end of the month, has been a leader in the clubhouse, even if he is still a human pinata.
"This is a great bunch of guys," Rodriguez said. "They are always making fun of me, just like you guys. I'm always laughing at myself, too."
A-Rod helps keep this Yankees clubhouse loose, and, just by the magnitude of his fame -- or infamy? -- keeps the spotlight off others. That is off-the-field stuff.
On the field, the decision to keep A-Rod off the infield may be manager Joe Girardi's best this season. With the year off, Rodriguez thinks his two surgically repaired hips finally received the rest they needed, allowing him to train more properly for baseball instead of just rehabbing. By using him as the DH, Girardi has helped keep Rodriguez healthy even though he has not played in only six games this season.
"Joe deserves a lot of credit because he made that call early on," Rodriguez said of making him a full-time DH. "It has made me feel very comfortable."
He added he is "rested and healthy."
He is also feared, not only because of his physical skills, but because of his mental ones. Rodriguez, as Young said, "has been around the block a few times," so he studies the game and he can make adjustments that can change an outcome.
Rodriguez is hitting .281 with 19 homers and 52 RBIs. His OPS is .909.
Rodriguez has been different this year, more humble, more accessible and, for the first time in five years, a really good player, almost an All-Star. His demons may come back, but for the time being he is no longer a pariah.
He is accepted in the clubhouse and among his peers out in Los Angeles, making fun of himself.
"I thought it was a nice way to laugh at myself, at my expense," Rodriguez said. "It was a great night."
