He will start at designated hitter at Yankee Stadium on Friday and then be released from his contract, a 41-year-old free agent who said he has not considered the possibility of signing elsewhere.
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But that’s of little importance considering what could have been a Sox three-game sweep wound up another series loss.
Rodriguez lined out, popped out and struck out before his tapper in front of the plate in the eighth allowed Brett Gardner to score from third and put NY up 4-2.
But will he? It doesn’t seem like Rodriguez wants to be done, especially considering he sits just four home runs away with 700 for his career.
Austin Romine added a solo home run, his fourth of the year for NY, which won two of three games in Boston and improved to 6-4 in August.
The play was originally ruled a sacrifice fly for Ellsbury and a run-scoring error on Benintendi, but the decision was changed after the game. Two runs scored on the play.
Sandy Leon’s leadoff double and Benintendi’s walk put runners on the corners for Dustin Pedroia with one out in the Boston ninth. however, Pedroia and Xander Bogaerts both struck out.
Brad Ziegler (0-3) surrendered all three runs in the eighth, though only one was earned.
Rodriguez finished 0-for-4 with a strikeout, sending a dribbler in front of the pitcher in his final at-bat in the eighth inning to plate the Yankees’ final run.
Ramirez stayed in the game after being checked out.
Yankees: RHP Nathan Eovaldi had an MRI on his pitching elbow and was evaluated by team physician Dr. Christopher Ahmad.
Red Sox: OF Mookie Betts was out of the starting lineup after leaving Wednesday night’s game early with tightness in his right calf.
He was born in NY and hit 351 home runs for the Yankees, but A-Rod’s big-money contracts and off-field antics made him a less-than-beloved character for some in the city.
While manager Joe Girardi has rinsed as much joy as possible out of this week with his refusing to play Rodriguez in the first two games, A-Rod continues to act in a way he never could muster, even when his physical gifts on a diamond lifted him to MVP honors.
Rodriguez is kind of position-less at this stage in his career though he had been at least taking reps at first base this season and parts of previous year. Brock Holt – and his.309 wOBA this season – will start in right field and hit seventh on Thursday.
Fans say he will equally be remembered for a season-long suspension for using performance-enhancing drugs and frequent appearances in the tabloids for episodes involving late-night poker games, his divorce and reputed interludes with Madonna, movie stars and a stripper. “Not how I pictured it when I woke up this morning, but definitely I’m glad that run came in and we won the game”. “That just kept coming to me”.
Ah, but there’s a reason A-Rod is being pushed out the door as a Yankee, after one more game in the Bronx on Friday night. Didi Gregorius also homered for NY, which overcame a 4-1 deficit, and Fernando Abad (1-6) gave up Starlin Castro’s two-run double that capped a five-run seventh.
A-Rod won’t get to play third base in his final game Friday.
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Boston Red Sox’s David Ortiz, left, scores behind New York Yankees’ Gary Sanchez during the first inning of a baseball game in Boston, Thursday, Aug. 11, 2016.
