With his New York Yankees playing career coming to an end, manager Joe Girardi declined Alex Rodriguez’s request to play third in his final game.
New York Yankees designated hitter and former third baseman Alex Rodriguez told the Michael Kay Show that he had asked manager Joe Girardi if he could play third base in his final game.
He 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
A-Rod, who has played 1,193 games at the hot corner in his major league career, has seen his grateful farewell turn into a rocky affair over the course of the week.
At first, Girardi told the media at Yankee Stadium on Sunday that Rodriguez would play every game if he desires and then benched him until a pinch-hit opportunity in Wednesday’s 9-4 win over the Boston Red Sox.
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Then, the Yankees’ manager said that “managing a farewell tour” is not in his job description because he wants to win forgetting that he started Derek Jeter in 145 games in 2014.
That was the year of the captain’s farewell tour and he put together the worst OPS of his 20-year career while taking 619 plate appearances in the number two slot in the lineup. Hypocrisy at it’s finest.
It also doesn’t help Girardi’s case to explain how he’s trying to win ballgames when Aaron Hicks is penciled into the lineup almost six days a week.
With that being said, A-Rod will likely DH in his final game as a member of the New York Yankees organization and he must be wondering what a man who ranks sixth on the team’s All-Time home runs list has to do to earn a noble send-off.
Come on, Joe. Look at the tape:
