He threw seven no-hitters playing Little League in Puerto Rico, by his count, and broke three ribs with a pitch. He remembers the pitch that ended his career, a gopher ball for a home run that not only cleared the outfield fence, but the school building out beyond it.

"That was the last time I threw a baseball as a pitcher," Rodriguez said. "That was long enough."

His father called timeout from the stands, Rodriguez said, walked onto the field and said that his son wasn't going to pitch anymore.

"If you pitch again," Rodriguez remembers his father saying, "I won't come to see you [play] anymore."

From then on, Rodriguez was a catcher. The rest is history, to which he added another mark on Friday. His 2,055th game caught tied him with Gary Carter for third on the all-time list.

Carter, who was still playing when Rodriguez broke into the Majors in 1991, turned 38 years old a week and a half before his final Major League game at the end of the 1992 season. Rodriguez won't turn 36 until the end of November. At this rate, he'll need another couple years before he threatens the top two catchers on the list, Bob Boone (2,225 games) and Carlton Fisk (2,226), but he could do it before he turns 38.

"It's a lot of hard work, off the field and in the field," Rodriguez said. "I think I've reached all these goals because I love the game of baseball. I work hard at it and just go up there and do my best and play the game hard every single day. When you do that, you're going to reach a lot of goals. To be honest, today is a very special one, because it's games caught. It's not an easy thing to do."

Judging from all the bumps and bruises he has taken, it's not easy at all. His right knee still has a swollen bruise from the foul tip he took on Monday at Cleveland, on top of all the pitches that have hit his feet and ankles over the course of the summer.

"Sometimes I think, 'Here we go. Another one,'" Rodriguez said.

Then Rodriguez comes up to bat the next half-inning -- he led off the inning after he took the foul ball of his knee at Cleveland -- and his manager thinks something else.

"If somebody asks what's the most amazing thing about Pudge," Jim Leyland said, "I would say the most amazing thing, when you think about it, is that he runs so well. It's hard to believe. Most catchers catch a few years, they're not really fast to start with, and then they gradually get real slow. But he's maintained speed, and that's pretty impressive."

Before the season began, Rodriguez said he could envision catching until he turns 40. This season, for all its ups and downs, hasn't changed his thinking much. He still envisions playing three or four more years behind the plate. He believes it's realistic as long as he keeps himself in shape.

"I don't think age means anything," Rodriguez said. "It's the way you take care of yourself."

The Tigers have a decision to make as to whether any of those years take place in a Detroit uniform. He has a $13 million club option for 2008 which they're expected to pick up, in part given the state of catching in their system and on the free-agent market.

Wherever Rodriguez is next year, it's in a much better state than having his father visiting the mound to take him out of a game.

"He was right, eh?" Rodriguez said of his father. "I think so. I think he was right. He's a good coach."

Bondo or Bazardo: Leyland doesn't have many tough decisions remaining down the stretch, but one of them is whether it's worth the risk pitching Jeremy Bonderman to give him a chance to end his season on a positive note, knowing he's healthy.

If Bonderman gets through his bullpen session Saturday, he could end up starting Tuesday against the Twins, currently listed as an open spot. Even if he's healthy, though, Leyland could still decide to keep him shelved if he doesn't think it's worth the trouble.

As of Friday, he was still weighing it.

"That's what we're trying to decide," Leyland said. "Is it important for him to get out there knowing that he's feeling good, or is it better just to shut him down?"

If it's option number two, then Tuesday's start likely goes to Yorman Bazardo, whose 4 2/3 innings pitched on Saturday at Minnesota helped the Tigers beat Johan Santana and the Twins.

Miller going to instrux: Andrew Miller was slated to throw a side session on Friday before reporting on Monday to the Florida Instructional League, where he'll try to test the changes in his delivery in a game situation.

He'll pitch there, then go into next spring trying to win a spot in the Tigers rotation, which might have just one opening for a youngster.

"I believe that he's a candidate for the team next year as a starter," Leyland said, "but that's what he is. He's a candidate."

So, for that matter, is Friday's starter, Jair Jurrjens.

Coming up: Kenny Rogers (3-2, 4.24) will try to build on his strong finish Saturday when he takes the mound opposite Kansas City's Kyle Davies (6-14, 5.95) in the middle game of the series. Game time is 7:05 p.m. ET.