Alex Rodriguez's 'awesome' rivalry with Boston coming to an end

BOSTON – It’s been a long and convoluted – tortured, maybe – history between Alex Rodriguez and Boston.

He made his major league debut at Fenway Park as an

18-year-old phenom with the Seattle Mariners. He nearly came to the Red Sox in 2004 in what would have been a blockbuster trade with the Texas Rangers just a few months after the Red Sox’ horrific ALCS loss to the Yankees. That deal was ultimately nuked by the players’ union. Instead — adding to the ignominy for Red Sox fans — the Rangers traded him to the hated Yankees.

In the 12 seasons since, there were enough incidents and accidents to more than fill a baseball rivalry — beanballs and brawls, slaps and face mashes. And home runs. Always the home runs. Lots of them. And, yes, the seasonlong suspension for PED use.

There is no one Red Sox fans love to boo more than Rodriguez. They do so proudly and without mercy. Walk through the stands at Fenway during a game against the Yankees and you can hear any and all manner of pejorative thrown his way from every manner of fan.

Those feelings, though, are not mutual. Sorry, Red Sox fans, Alex Rodriguez loves you.

“One of the things about coming here for the last [22] years, and specifically after I became a Yankee, collectively they give it to me pretty good,” Rodriguez said before Tuesday’s series opener. “But when you walk around the city, they show me a lot of love and a lot of respect. Look, it’s been an awesome rivalry. It’s been great for baseball. A lot of people, we’ve all done well. The game has done well as well.

“It’s been an incredible history, dating back to 1994 when I debuted here. Fenway, the fans here are very special. The rivalries. The rivalry here has been incredible, especially when I think about ’04 to ‘09 and ’10. Those were so some of the most epic baseball battles that I have ever seen. And long ones, too.”

He hasn’t thought about the ‘what ifs’ and ‘mighta beens,’ though. What if the trade to the Red Sox had gone through and he had been on that 2004 team to win the first Red Sox World Series title in 86 years?

“I haven’t given that too much thought,” he said. “I thought it was an exciting potential. But things turned out incredible for the Red Sox. They turned out well for us. We have four championships between us — three (for the Red Sox) and one (for the Yankees). But overall, I thought the game grew incredibly. I thought the game might’ve been at its height when you think about those playoffs in ’04, ’05, ’06. It was just a good time for baseball.”

He’s loved the rivalry between the ancient foes. “I loved every minute of it when you’re going up against the best,” he said. “I know we played like 50 or 60 games (in that time) and it was like 26-26. The run differential was maybe 10 or 15 runs. It was really a remarkable time in baseball history. I think a lot of the growth of where we are today as industry, it’s great. The game is good and this has been a big part of it. “I truly think it’s the greatest rivalry in sports. I think it’s lost a little bit of its luster here the last few years…the Red Sox are going to be a handful to deal with for a very long time. I think what Hal (Steinbrenner, the Yankees’ managing general partner) and (general manager Brian) Cashman are doing today is honorable. It’s the right move and we’re going to try to do the same thing (the Red Sox have) done and hopefully in three or four years we can equal the rivalry of '05, '04, '03, all that stuff.” But the rivalry for Rodriguez the Yankee is drawing to a close. On Sunday, he announced he will walk away from his contract Friday’s game at Yankee Stadium against the Rays, likely closing out his 22-season career. He entered this series with 263 career games against the Red Sox, more than against any other opponent. He has hit 59 home runs against the Red Sox — behind only 70 against the Angels and 69 against the Orioles. He is likely to add just one more game to his total against the Red Sox. Whether or not he can add to his home run total remains to be seen. Rodriguez, who turned 41 on July 27, is not expected to play until the series finale on Thursday, when he will be in the starting lineup against knuckleballer Steven Wright. “It’s a great chance to give me one great, loud boo on the way out and send me to Miami,” Rodriguez said. “The one thing is, I love Boston. It’s a great city. I love Fenway Park. I started here. My mother and brother and sister were here. I want my girls to go to college somewhere in Boston; I’m not going to say where. But somewhere in Boston. “[Thursday] should be fun.”

As MLB stars exit, Bryce Harper, Mike Trout & Co. battle for star power

But it hasn’t always been a lot of fun for him this season. He is batting .204 with a .609 OPS in 62 games this season. His last start was July 30 at Tampa Bay. His last appearance in a game was as a pinch-hitter Aug. 2 at Citi Field against the Mets. “I’m managing to try to win the games and that’s what I have to do,” said Yankees manager Joe Girardi. “This is a very important series for us. This is one of the teams that we’re chasing. Obviously, it’s important to try to win the first game of the series and try to win the series. But I’ve said all along, if you want to catch up, you have to beat the teams in front of you and have a good series.” Rodriguez thought he would be playing in these final four games. “Yeah, I’m disappointed,” Rodriguez said. “When I heard him say that I could actually play in all four games, I was really excited to get some at-bats. I don’t know what happened. So, I guess I play on Thursday. “It’s surprising and shocking (to hear Girardi’s comments). He has his opinion; I have mine. But like I’ve said from the time I came back from my suspension, it’s up to Joe and I’ll do whatever he wants. “I’ll be ready if he needs me.” Now, he will be retiring the same year as David Ortiz, his erstwhile good friend who came up with him in the Mariners’ organization and announced on his 40th birthday in November that he will retire after the season. Ortiz, though, is batting .309, leading the majors with a .617 slugging percentage, 1.014 OPS, and 36 doubles. They had a falling out two years ago, when Ortiz perceived comments by Joseph Tacopina, Rodriguez’s lawyer -- that some players were guilty of using PEDs but had not been held accountable — to be directed at him. The two spoke during spring training, a measure to repair their strained relationship. Earlier this season, at Fenway, they made a bit of history, becoming the first pair of 40-somethings to hit home runs in the same game. “Well, it just means we’re old,” Rodriguez said. “I wish I was hitting like him. He’s been unbelievable. I’ve been a huge David Ortiz fan from day one. I’ve known him since he was a teenager and I got to tell you, I marvel at how he does it. I often say he’s like our Magic Johnson. He’s been an incredible ambassador for our game. “Baseball, we have a small community and David and I have been family for a long time. When you think about 750 players, we’re all family, but David, in particular, and I have been like brothers for a long time. I’ve been in touch with him all year via text, and I’m very proud of the way his career is coming to an end.”

For women playing baseball, acceptance grows as they attack 'cultural myth'

Rodriguez’ career as a Yankee at Fenway Park will end Thursday. He doesn’t think he’s being forced out, he said. Whether or not he plays for another team next year, he’s not ready to say. “I am content right now with how this week has gone down and am appreciative and overwhelmed by the emails and texts that I’ve been getting, the phone calls that I’ve been getting,” he said. “And, for a guy that screwed up so much I feel very humbled to be in this position.”