If there was, in fact, any sort of battle — real or perceived —
between Alex Rios and his former fan base in Toronto, he got the final
word Sunday.
And he did so by letting his bat — which was pink
in honor of Mother’s Day — do the talking.
“Yeah, I’ll think about using it again,” Rios said of his
rosy-color-fueled four-hit performance that included a game-tying
solo home run in the seventh inning. The center fielder reached base in
all five plate appearances and scored three runs in a game the White Sox
had in hand until giving up four runs to the Jays in the ninth inning
to eventually lose, 9-7.
In eight games against Toronto this year, Rios hit a robust .353
with three home runs and five RBIs. His exemplary game ran his current
hitting streak to 11 games and he’s connected on an extra base-hit in
seven consecutive games.
Rios found a once supportive fan base anything but welcoming in his
return to the Rogers Centre, where he was booed incessantly during a
series last month. During that four-game series, he was made to answer
for a YouTube video in which he curses at an autograph-seeking fan after
a charity event in Toronto last June.
Manager Ozzie Guillen defended Rios then, saying the verbose fan was
lucky he wasn’t acting that way toward Ozzie.
For his part, Rios
has said he harbors no animosity over his departure. He was, however,
surprised at the level of vitriol he faced with his news team.
”Yeah, I was surprised about that, I guess,” said Rios after a his
April 13 home run in Toronto broke up Jays starter Ricky Romero’s
no-hitter in the eight inning. ‘It wasn’t my choice to leave here; they
[waived] me. But it’s all good. It’s part of the game. It keeps the game
exciting.”
He certainly seems to have found his comfort zone on the South
Side. He’s hitting a team-best .324 after his offensive explosion
Sunday.
Afterward, he was asked if he’s pleased with how he’s
swinging the bat.
Obvious question, obvious answer.
“Yeah, I could say that.”
he said. “I’ve been putting good swings on the ball, and when you do
that, good things happen.”
“[He’s] has been great since Spring
Training,” Guillen said. “I’m very happy for him. Hopefully he continues
to swing the bat like that. He’s been playing great baseball since
Spring Training.”
