Yankees" Rodriguez Flashes Power, but Notes That It's March, Not October TAMPA, Fla. - Hours after he hit the first pitch he saw in spring training for a home run, out of the hand of the great Roy Halladay, no less, Alex Rodriguez was asked in a noisy clubhouse Sunday if he believed in omens. Rodriguez did not hear the question and replied somewhat incredulously, "In almonds?" As a reporter stammered to explain, Rodriguez provided the proper synonym. You mean a foreshadowing? Yes, exactly. Because, nuts aside, Rodriguez has foreshadowed great success in the past with one swing. In May 2009, he hit the first pitch he saw in the regular season for a three-run homer in Baltimore. The Yankees went on to win the World Series, and Rodriguez had a dominant postseason. So was homering on the first pitch of his spring off perhaps the best pitcher in the game - and then adding a single and a run-scoring double off Joel Piniero to complete a perfect day - comparable to 2009? Does it foreshadow a terrific season? Or was it just a lucky swing in a meaningless game, an indication of nothing? Rodriguez leaned toward the second possibility, minimizing the swing and his entire day. "It's better than striking out," he said. Coming off perhaps the worst season he has endured, one in which he sustained two unrelated injuries and played in only 99 games, Rodriguez knows there will be great scrutiny of how he responds this year. People are curious whether last year was the beginning of a decline in his production, or a fluke that he can erase with a strong season. The full answer probably will not come for several months. For now, the evidence is scant, the sample size tiny. Rodriguez says he is in good shape after an off-season spent repairing and reconditioning his body, and his timing at the plate is good so far and he has shown flashes of power. But on Sunday, he was unwilling to magnify the significance of the first game, at-bat or swing of spring training. "Last year, I stood here and had a really good spring and felt really good and the results during the year weren't what we all wanted," he said. But one day at a time. It's a good start and hopefully, the first of many more games to come. Rodriguez had knee surgery in July to repair a torn meniscus, and when he came back he sprained his left thumb diving for a ball. He played fewer than 100 games for the first time since 1995, and hit only 16 homers with 62 runs batted in. So in the off-season, he went to Germany to undergo Orthokine therapy, in which blood is removed from his body, spun in a centrifuge, and then reinjected into the injured areas. He had it done to his right knee and his left shoulder, and since then has been doing conditioning work, including what he calls corrective exercises to remain flexible and resilient. Rodriguez has six years and $146 million remaining on his contract. His resilience is a big issue for the Yankees, and Manager Joe Girardi is tasked with helping Rodriguez remain on the field and productive. "A big part of my job this year is keeping him healthy and fresh," Girardi said. Girardi said Rodriguez would have the same number of spring training at-bats - 50 to 60 - as he usually would. But during the regular season, Girardi said, Rodriguez would be rested occasionally. Before Sunday, the previous time Girardi saw Rodriguez in the field was during last year's American League division series, when Rodriguez, still trying to find a way to hold his bat effectively with his sprained thumb, hit .111. With that in mind, Girardi said he was pleased that Rodriguez hit the ball with authority Sunday, and he said the wind that blew from left field to right only changed the direction of Rodriguez's home run, not the distance. Rodriguez agreed. When asked where he thought the opposite-field drive would have landed without the wind, he said, "Same place." "But it doesn't matter what we say here in February and March," Rodriguez said. You've got to go out and play one game at a time. I know this. I know that if I feel healthy, I'm going to do some good things to help this team win. Freddy Garcia, who is competing for the fifth spot in the rotation with Phil Hughes, gave up a two-run homer to Hunter Pence in the Yankees" 7-4 victory Sunday. Garcia, who pitched two innings, said that although he did not have much experience pitching out of the bullpen, he would work in that role if asked.