All four times he stepped to the plate Thursday night, Alex Rodriguez was roundly booed by the denizens of Fenway Park - a typical reception for the longtime New York Yankees star who played a starring role in the Yankees-Red Sox rivalry that raged for so many years.
Rodriguez, who will play his final game with the Yankees on Friday, wouldn't have wanted it any other way.
"They're passionate fans. They love their team," Rodriguez told reporters after his club secured a 4-2 victory. "Just like in the '80s, Celtics-Lakers was good for basketball. Red Sox-Yankees has been good for baseball, and tonight was a good thing."
Though the rivalry simmered some in recent years, Rodriguez's final game in enemy territory evoked that tension that colored the Red Sox-Yankees relationship throughout the early aughts. Batting cleanup Thursday for the first time since July 30, the 41-year-old went hitless in four at-bats, but plated an insurance run with a bases-loaded dribbler off Brad Ziegler in the eighth inning.
"It was fun. It was a lot of fun to be out there," Rodriguez said. "It was a kind of funny hit in the end. Not how I pictured it when I woke up this morning."
Rodriguez's career stats (1994-2016) vs. Boston
| Split | GP | AVG | OPS | HR |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| vs. Red Sox | 265 | .283 | .889 | 59 |
| @ Fenway Park | 133 | .285 | .872 | 29 |
Now, with his Fenway finale out of the way, Rodriguez's focus will turn to Friday's game against the Tampa Bay Rays at Yankee Stadium, where the three-time MVP will pull on the pinstripes one last time in what's sure to be an emotional affair.
"I'm sure I'll wake up in the morning and it will be very emotional," he said. "My family, my girls get in at mid-day. (Friday) is about me thanking the fans for putting up with me for such a long time. They've been with me through thick and thin."
