Ryan Dempster plunks Alex Rodriguez, Joe Girardi is ejected [Video]

Boston pitcher Ryan Dempster is nothing if not persistent, taking more than one attempt before giving Red Sox fans what they apparently wanted to see Sunday -- controversial New York Yankees slugger Alex Rodriguez getting nailed by a pitch.

Rodriguez, who is allowed to keep playing while appealing a 211-game suspension by Major League Baseball in the Biogenesis drug case, was booed by the crowd at Fenway Park all night, starting with his initial appearance in the on-deck circle during the first inning.

The jeers grew louder -- including the chant, “You’re a cheater!� -- when he entered the batter’s box to lead off the second inning, then turned to cheers when A-Rod was sent flailing after Dempster’s first pitch went behind the batter’s knees.

Two pitches later, a Dempster fastball struck Rodriguez in the elbow and ricocheted off his back, again to the delight of the crowd -- and to the dismay of Yankees Manager Joe Girardi, who was enraged that Dempster was allowed to stay in the game (both sides received a warning).

But Girardi was not. He was ejected from the game after arguing with home plate umpire Brian O’Nora.

“Whether I agree with everything that’s going on, you do not throw at people and you don’t take the law into your own hands,� Girardi said. “You can’t just start taking potshots because you disagree with the way the system is set up.�

Dempster denied intentionally throwing at Rodriguez. The Yankees third baseman wasn’t buying it.

“Whether you like me or hate me, what’s wrong is wrong,� he said. “That was unprofessional and silly.�

Rodriguez responded in a more professional manner by sending a Dempster pitch out of the park to spark a four-run sixth inning that led to a 9-6 Yankees victory.

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