The 41-year-old Rodriguez was officially released by the New York Yankees on Saturday but hasn’t ruled out playing again.
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Thunder and lightning cut short a pre-game tribute but the ageing slugger provided the first fireworks of the night for the Yankees by smacking a RBI double in his first at-bat as NY beat the Tampa Bay Rays 6-3.
Rodriguez is being honored in a pregame ceremony Friday. He shifted to third base in the ninth inning and left with one out to a nice ovation. “I hadn’t touched my glove for a long time”, said A-Rod, who stands fourth on the all-time home run list behind Babe Ruth, Henry Aaron and Barry Bonds.
Despite the awkward release/retirement that ended Rodriguez’s tenure with the Yankees-and until otherwise noted, his career-Girardi tearfully said at a press conference after the game that, “If this is the last time he [A-Rod] plays, I wanted it to be something he never forgot”.
“I put the fans through a lot”.
Mattingly said the Marlins need help at first base – starter Justin Bour is sidelined because of an ankle injury – and he feels Rodriguez could make the transition.
The Yankees went on to win 6-3. One of the two players is set to replace A-Rod.
Rodriguez has been a fixture in the Yankee lineup since 2004, but he announced on Sunday he would transition to an off-the-field position with the team. Rodriguez could stay in NY and honor the contract or sign with an American League team where he could play DH and not have to work in the field. When Red Sox first baseman was on the wrong end of a collision, I thought it was A-Rod.
Of course, anything can change if the phone rings Saturday morning, or next week, or next February, and some team looking for a DH who can hit the ball out of the ballpark decides to take a chance on him, especially since the Yankees will be paying the freight through the end of 2017.
He entered in a 4-for-47 funk and started for just the third time in 19 games since July 22, his skills clearly having diminished. “To hear the thunder crackle”.
“I’ve always liked Alex”, Mattingly said.
“We’re going to look at everything”, Hill said. “You can’t make that up”.
Rodriguez has a $20 million salary this year and is owed $20 million more in 2017, the final year of a $275-million, 10-year contract that was the baseball’s largest when he signed it.
“The last time I drive up Broadway and through Harlem and through the neighborhoods that have brought so much comfort to me”, he said.
He has not said he is retiring.
After spending several days discussing this plan with Alex, I am pleased that he will remain a part of our organization moving forward and transition into a role in which I know he can flourish. A-Rod began his final night with.295 batting average, 3,114 hits and his 2,085 RBIs, second to Aaron’s 2,297 since RBIs became an official statistic.
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“I can’t do that anymore”, Rodriguez remembered telling him.
