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Alex Rodríguez wants his Yankees number 13 retired despite his complicated legacy: ‘Dream come true’

Alex Rodriguez has perhaps the most complicated legacy not only in the history of the New York Yankees, but perhaps in all of Major League Baseball.

The No. 1 overall pick in 1993 heard the loudest cheers and boos during his 22-year career, when he hit 696 home runs, won three MVPs, one World Series and 10 Silver Sluggers.

In 12 seasons with the Yankees, he hit .283 with a .900 OPS, a Hall of Fame-worthy performance. However, the up-and-down nature of his tenure appears to be the reason why the organization has yet to retire his number 13.

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New York Yankees designated hitter Alex Rodriguez, #13, greets fans after playing his final game as a Yankee against the Tampa Bay Rays at Yankee Stadium. The Yankees won 6-3. (Andy Marlin-USA TODAY Sports)

Rodriguez admitted in October that the fact that his number is not in Monument Park “bothers” him. However, speaking with Fox News Digital in a recent interview, he knows that it’s “not my place to say” whether he deserves the honor.

“I would love that, it would be a dream come true,” Rodriguez said. “But that’s Hal Steinbrenner and Randy Levine’s decision. If they say it’s a good thing, I’ll be the first one there. If not, I’ll still love the Yankees and support them and hope they win a championship this year.”

Nobody got up, fell and got back up like Rodríguez. Aside from making headlines during his prime, his fandom fell off a cliff when he was suspended for 211 games for performance-enhancing drugs in 2013. It was the second time he was arrested, and he also confessed in 2009. He finally came clean. reduced to “only” for the entire 2014 season.

During that time, he was extremely critical and threatened to sue the Yankees, who he had spent the last 10 years with at the time. Even as he fought against his suspension, and shortly after returning from it, he heard enthusiastic boos not only from rival stadiums, but also from the Bronx faithful amid faint cheers.

Fan has sign

A fan holds a banner referring to Alex Rodriguez, number 13 of the New York Yankees, during a game against the Los Angeles Anaheim Angels at Yankee Stadium on August 13, 2013 in the Bronx borough of the city of NY. (Jim McIsaac/Getty Images)

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However, since he hit 33 home runs in 2015, most had been forgiven (of course, “FORG1V3” t-shirts sold out on Opening Day that year), and in his final game in 2016, he left the field to a standing ovation. It wasn’t quite Derek Jeter-esque, but the mere idea was unimaginable less than two years earlier. In a somewhat comical twist, Aaron Judge was called up the next day.

Of course, since retiring, he has become one of baseball’s most frequent voices, joining Fox as an analyst and also doing “Sunday Night Baseball” broadcasts on ESPN before, becoming a fan favorite and teaming up with old enemy Jeter.

MLB on the FOX team

From left, Kevin Burkhardt, Alex Rodríguez, José Altuve, David Ortiz and Derek Jeter speak during a broadcast before Game 2 of the American League Championship Series between the Texas Rangers and the Houston Astros at Minute Maid Park on Monday, October 16, 2023 in Houston. (Alex Bierens de Haan/MLB Photos via Getty Images)

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No Yankee wore the number after Rodriguez retired until Joey Gallo was acquired in 2021. He was fired in 2022 after a tenure that might have generated more boos than Rodriguez at Fenway Park.

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