Alex Rodriguez will play the final game of his 22-year career against the Tampa Bay Rays at Yankees Stadium on Friday. The 41-year-old said on The Michael Kay Show Thursday that he asked to play third base for old time’s sake, but manager Joe Girardi said no.
Interesting nugget on @TMKSESPN: ARod asked Girardi if he could play third base on Friday. Girardi said no.
— Jack Curry (@JackCurryYES) August 11, 2016
Rodriguez didn’t seem too upset about his request getting denied by the skipper, but he should be.
A-Rod on Joe nixing his request to play 3B tomorrow: ‘It would’ve been just fun again but it wasn’t a big request. I totally get the answer’
— Pete Caldera (@pcaldera) August 11, 2016
The Yankees are 57-56 and 4 1/2 games back of the AL’s second wild card spot. And after the fire sale they had at the trade deadline, New York pretty much waved the white flag on this season.
Rodriguez has played in just one game since he formally announced his retirement on Sunday. He came in as a pinch hitter Wednesday against the Boston Red Sox. Before the game, Girardi got defensive with reporters about his handling of Rodriguez.
“I’m putting out what I feel is the best lineup as we sit around and talk about it as coaches,” Girardi said, via NJ.com. “That’s my job. That’s in my job description. My job description does not entail a farewell tour.”
Still, is it really too much to ask for Rodriguez to play one game at third? One measly game out of the 49 left in the season.