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Alex Rodriguez is just happy to be there.
The New York Yankees hosted an Old Timers’ Day against the Colorado Rockies on October 24. The 2009 World Series team was honored on the 15th anniversary of the championship season, but third baseman Alex Rodriguez admitted he wasn’t necessarily expecting an invitation.
“I was really surprised to get an invitation,” Rodriguez said after the game, according to ESPN’s Jorge Castillo. “Honored. Very happy.”
Rodriguez is not memorialized in the Yankees’ famous Monument Park. Yankees legend Derek Jeter, who was Rodriguez’s teammate in 2009, did not express his opinion when asked about the matter.
“I don’t make those decisions, man,” Jeter said, according to Chris Kirschner of The Athletic. “That’s the best way to put it. I know people are looking for headlines. I think you have (Brian) Cashman here somewhere. I don’t even know if Cash makes that decision. I would call Hal (Steinbrenner) and see what he has to say. Don’t bring me into that. That’s a Hal question.”
Rodriguez spent 12 seasons with the franchise, posting a .283/.378/.523 batting average with 351 home runs and 1,096 RBIs. He won two of his three MVP trophies with the ballclub and continued to perform strongly during the 2009 postseason.
He was a controversial figure due to his connection to steroid use and also had a falling out with Jeter when the two were teammates, which may have led to his surprise when he was inducted.
Nevertheless, it seems that a path to forgiveness has been mapped out for the organization and Rodriguez.
