Rodriguez played his final game as a Yankee on Friday night and was released on Saturday morning as planned by the Yankees, who announced recently they are planning on making him a special adviser and instructor within the organization. But A-Rod is hitting.203 with nine home runs this year, and with the Yankees deciding last month to trade veterans and turn toward youth, there was no place on the field for ol’ Rodriguez, baseball’s last remaining player who experienced a work stoppage.
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“I’ve given these fans a lot of headaches over the years”.
Rodriguez DH’ed the entire game and grounded out in his final at-bat.
“A-Rod” will now become a club advisor.
Rodriguez played in 65 games and started 57 this season as the Yankees’ designated hitter. I think he’s a guy that obviously he’s played [shortstop], so that tells you he’s one of the best athletes in the game in his prime. This is the last time he plays. “He has the ability to do a lot of things”, Mattingly said.
They’re also 6-2 since Mark Teixeira similarly announced his retirement on Friday, now situating them 3 games out of the last American League wild card.
Rodriguez had slept late, ate his egg whites, stretched and took one final trip to the ballpark as a NY player. Rodriguez’s family was on the field and public address announcer Paul Olden said: “Alex, you spent 12 of your 22 seasons with the Yankees” when a loud thunderclap shook the ballpark, as if cued by a film director.
The week leading up to Rodriguez’s farewell was a mess, with Yankees manager Joe Girardi continuing to sit the three-time American League MVP after saying Sunday, “If he wants to play in every game, I’ll find a way”. We haven’t been able to replace that, for sure.
Admitting to plenty of errors in a life that has included a drug suspension, a World Series title, a divorce, celebrity girlfriends, high-stakes poker games and what seemed to be as many photos on tabloid fronts as backs, he leaves without establishing his own era. I try not to use it that much.
Rodriguez needs four more homers to become the fourth player to hit 700.
NY will owe him $7,103,825 for the rest of this year and $20 million for next, the final season of his $275 million, 10-year contract.
See everyone in Miami for the A-Rod Unretirement Press Conference in March 2017!
Austin, the Yankees’ starting first baseman and No. 7 hitter, cranked a 2-2 pitch off of Rays pitcher Matt Andriese in the second inning that landed deep in right field for his first career homer. Earlier this week in Boston, as A-Rod watched the offensive exploits of 23-year-old teammate Gary Sanchez, a realization dawned.
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“I worked hard at trying to comeback”, said Rodriguez.
