Alex Rodriguez made it quite clear Saturday that he is not holding his breath when it comes to receiving one big honor from the New York Yankees.
As part of FOX’s MLB pregame show, Rodriguez, along with Derek Jeter and David Ortiz, did a segment in Yankee Stadium’s Monument Park, where the franchise honors those who have had their number retired. During the segment, Ortiz casually turned to Rodriguez and asked when the Yankees would be putting the former third baseman’s No. 13 there.
Rodriguez did not miss a beat with his response to the Boston Red Sox icon.
A-Rod says David Ortiz has a better chance of getting his number retired by the Yankees than he does pic.twitter.com/fRTjbmVHKj
— Talkin' Yanks (@TalkinYanks) June 8, 2024
“Papi, you have a better chance of getting your number retired than I do,” Rodriguez said.
On the surface, Rodriguez has the numbers to qualify for the honor. 351 of his 696 career home runs came while playing for the Yankees, as did 1,580 of his 3,115 career hits. The problem is that there is much more to the story, as Rodriguez’s career was undoubtedly tainted by his role in the Biogenesis scandal. His involvement, and his use of PEDs, got him suspended for the entire 2014 season and, by his own admission, likely cost him a spot in the Hall of Fame.
Rodriguez has said in the past he would like to see the Yankees retire his number, but is realistic about the prospects of that happening. The fact that the team has since issued his number to someone else should tell him everything he needs to know.
