NEW YORK CITY — Yankees slugger Alex Rodriguez will play his final Major League Baseball game Friday, after more than 20 years in the sport.
An emotional Rodriguez made the announcement at a brief press conference Sunday, thanking the fans as well as his family, teammates, and coaches.
"This is a tough day," Rodriguez said. "I love this game, and I love this team. And today, I'm saying goodbye to both."
Rodriguez, 41, will play his final game Friday at Yankee Stadium against the Tampa Bay Rays. He will be officially released by the club, and sign a contract to serve as a special advisor and instructor to the team, the Yankees said.
Alex Rodriguez announces his retirement from baseball.https://t.co/TNBVlHfpaC
— YES Network (@YESNetwork) August 7, 2016
Because he is technically being released, Rodriguez will still make the $21 million he is due for next year, which is the final year of his 10-year, $275 million contract, the New York Times reported.
In his new position, Rodriguez will provide the team with regular feedback on its minor league system, and serve as a guest instructor during spring training in 2017, according to the Yankees.
He will report directly to Yankees managing general partner Hal Steinbrenner, who said he was happy Rodriguez would remain with the team and help train the next crop of Yankees stars.
"Baseball runs through his blood," read a statement from Steinbrenner. "He's a tireless worker and an astute student of the game. Alex has already proven to be a willing and effective mentor to many players who have come through our clubhouse, and I am confident that this next phase of his baseball life will bring out the best in Alex and the next generation of Yankees."
Rodriguez broke into baseball in 1994 at the age of 18, and played in 2,781 games over the span of 22 seasons. In that time, he became one of the most accomplished athletes in the sport's history: He is fourth all-time with 696 home runs, and third on the all-time RBI list with 2,084.
A four-time American League MVP, Rodriguez also collected 10 Silver Slugger Awards and two Gold Glove Awards, and his .358 batting average with the 1996 Seattle Mariners earned him the American League batting title that year. He is one of only three players with at least 600 career home runs, 300 stolen bases and 2,000 runs scored, and one of just 29 players with 3,000 career hits, according to MLB.com.
Rodriguez first made headlines in New York in 2004, when he joined the Yankees through a blockbuster trade that sent Alfonso Soriano to the Texas Rangers. As part of that trade, the Yankees agreed to take on the majority of the then-shortstop's 10-year, $252 million contract.
In his 12 years with the club, Rodriguez won the MVP award twice, and in 2009, helped the team win its 27th World Series, the first and only World Series ring of his career. On Aug. 4, 2010, he hit his historic 600th home run at Yankee Stadium against Toronto Blue Jays pitcher Shaun Marcum.
Rodriguez's tenure in New York also included its fair share of controversy, including his involvement with a federal investigation with a doctor linked to human growth hormone. In 2014, he was suspended for his connection to the Biogenisis of America baseball scandal, in which he and 12 other players were tied to a Florida clinic that dealt performance-enhancing drugs to athletes.
Rodriguez told Fox Sports that the decision to leave wasn't his. Days earlier, the team told him they planned to release him, and they eventually settled on his new role with the club, he said.
Going into Sunday, Rodriguez was batting .204 with nine home runs in 62 games.
"No athlete ever ends his career or her career the way you want to," Rodriguez said Sunday. "We all want to keep playing forever. But it doesn't work that way. Accepting the end gracefully is part of being a professional athlete. Saying goodbye may be the hardest part of the job, but that's what I'm doing today."
