Everybody but A-Rod.

On the night the Yankees tied a franchise record by hitting eight home runs in a 16–3 rout of the Chicago White Sox, Alex Rodriguez had none.

Instead, he stayed stuck at 499 yesterday and watched his teammates connect all night long. After completing his 0-for-5 performance, he even flipped his bat to a boy sitting behind the dugout.

A-Rod is hitless in 16 at-bats since he connected against Kansas City last Wednesday. His teammate had no problems going deep

Hideki Matsui homered twice, and Jorge Posada, Bobby Abreu, Melky Cabrera, Johnny Damon and Robinson Cano hit one apiece for New York, which pulled within three games of Cleveland, the AL wild-card leader. That’s the closest Yankees have been to playoff territory since after games of April 25.

When the Yankees hit eight in a doubleheader opener at the Philadelphia Athletics on June 28, 1939, Joe DiMaggio and Babe Dahlgren hit two each, and Bill Dickey, George Selkirk, Joe Gordon and Tommy Henrich also went deep.

A-Rod was greeted with wild cheers and bright flashes throughout Yankee Stadium before each at-bat. He came closest to becoming the 22nd player to reach 500 homers when he sent Jermaine Dye crashing into the wall in right in the fourth. Dye held on and Rodriguez made his way to the Yankees dugout.

He was taken out after seven innings and will go for 500 homers again Wednesday night against John Danks and the White Sox.

Matsui homered in the first and sixth innings, giving him 13 homers in July and 21 this season.

Abreu hit a three-run drive and Matsui connected for his 20th of the season in the first against Jose Contreras (5–14), who has lost his last seven starts and nine of his last 10. Abreu’s ninth of the year reached the second row of the upper deck in right.

Cano and Cabrera joined the power surge in the third, Posada went deep in the fourth and Damon connected in the seventh before Duncan’s upper-deck drive. Mike Mussina (6–7) was the beneficiary of the support, winning his second straight start. He gave up three runs and six hits in six innings. Contreras allowed seven runs and eight hits in 2 2-3 innings against his former team, his shortest outing since he lasted just one against Cleveland on April 2.

White Sox manager Ozzie Guillen was ejected by plate umpire Phil Cuzzi in the first inning. Cuzzi also tossed Paul Konerko from the game in the sixth. Juan Uribe hit a three-run homer for Chicago. New York also acquired another bat before the deadline for trades without waivers, getting Wilson Betemit from the Los Angeles Dodgers for reliever Scott Proctor. Chicago also made a deal before the deadline, sending outfielder-infielder Rob Mackowiak to San Diego for minor league pitcher Jon Link.

Notes: OF Darin Erstad (sprained left ankle) was activated from the 15-day disabled list and took Mackowiak’s roster spot. … New York will activate another reliever on Wednesday. Jeff Karstens and Edwar Ramirez are among the candidates. Hard-throwing prospect Joba Chamberlain is not in the mix but could be promoted soon.