NEW YORK – Eight years after the end of his turbulent tenure with the Yankees, Alex Rodriguez was greeted with cheers and impressed by Aaron Judge during his first appearance at Old-Timers’ Day on Saturday.
A year after captain Derek Jeter made his debut at the event, Rodriguez was introduced at a ceremony honoring the 2009 Yankees, who won the team’s last championship.
“I was really surprised to receive an invitation,” Rodriguez said at a press conference after a long ceremony on the field. “I feel honored, I am very happy. I told my daughters immediately and it is a great joy.”
Rodriguez played his final game on August 12, 2016, and was released the following day when the Yankees promoted Judge. Judge hit a home run in his first at-bat and is on pace to become the fourth player with three 50-home run seasons and the first to do so in three of his first nine seasons.
“Aaron is such a unicorn,” Rodriguez said. “I love baseball so much and I’ve never seen a player like him, who looks like an NFL tight end, 6-foot-4, 280 pounds, less than 10 percent body fat. The guy is a gem.”
“Personally, I don’t understand it,” Jeter said. “It’s unbelievable. It seems like he just keeps getting better and better.”
Rodriguez was acquired in a 2004 trade from Texas after third baseman and current Yankees manager Aaron Boone tore his left anterior cruciate ligament in an impromptu basketball game. He appeared in 1,509 of his 2,784 games in 12 seasons with the Yankees, a tenure that included a one-year suspension in 2014.
Rodriguez finished his career with 696 home runs, ranking fourth behind Barry Bonds (762), Hank Aaron (755) and Babe Ruth (714). In the most recent Hall of Fame ballot, his ranking dropped from 35.7% to 34.8%.
Rodriguez missed the first 28 games of the 2009 season after undergoing hip surgery. He hit a home run in his first at-bat in Baltimore and posted a .286 batting average with 30 home runs and 100 RBIs before posting a .328 batting average with six home runs and 18 RBIs in the postseason.
Rodriguez was introduced immediately after Johnny Damon and before 2009 World Series MVP Hideki Matsui and 2009 ALCS MVP CC Sabathia, who retired after the 2019 season.
“I’m 50 in a year and you understand the importance and value of winning, how difficult it is to deal with such great guys with so much character, with a great manager and an incredible, underrated coaching staff. It takes a village to win a championship and that’s very important to me,” Rodriguez said. “I only have one and I’m just glad I was part of that team.”
Jeter was introduced last, like the great Joe DiMaggio once was. A recording of the late stadium announcer Bob Sheppard boomed: “Now at bat, number two, Derek Jeter.”
Jeter is sixth on the career hit list with 3,465 hits and was introduced after his fellow “Core Four” players: Jorge Posada, Andy Pettitte and Mariano Rivera. Bernie Williams was also introduced after missing last year’s event due to shoulder surgery.
A total of 17 members of the 2009 team were honored, as well as manager Joe Girardi, who also moderated a question-and-answer session with radio analyst Suzyn Waldman.
It was the third season in a row that the Yankees did not play the old-timers’ game.
“I would be afraid of getting hurt,” Jeter said.
In addition to the 2009 award winners and members of the 1996, 1998, 1999 and 2000 championship teams, several members of the 1978 title team were in attendance, including Lou Piniella, Willie Randolph, Roy White, Mickey Rivers and Bucky Dent.
The widows of five-time manager Billy Martin, captain Thurman Munson and Bobby Murcer were also introduced during an event that began in 1947 with the first appearance of Ty Cobb and Ruth.
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