Stormy finale: A-Rod doubles, plays 3rd, exits with win

The New York Yankees aren’t wasting time with a new-look lineup, with Tyler Austin and Aaron Judge called up from the minors and making their major league debuts in Saturday’s game against the Tampa Bay Rays.

Austin is starting at first base and batting seventh and Judge starts in right field and bats eighth after being called up from Triple-A Scranton/Wilkes-Barre.

Alex Rodriguez’s final game with the New York Yankees was put on hold Friday night because of a downpour.

An official announcement on Rodriguez is expected later.

Making it to the big leagues in the wake of A-Rod’s departure can be awkward and pressure-packed, but the two got off to a smashing start – and made some history in the process.

At Chicago, Matt Szczur hit two home runs and the Chicago Cubs won their 11th straight game, backing Jake Arrieta and battering Adam Wainwright to rout the St. Louis Cardinals 13-2.

Rodriguez, who played high school baseball in South Florida, has said he would return to his home in Miami and then serve as a special adviser to the Yankees next season. The 24-year-old Judge is hitting.277 with 19 homers and 65 RBIs in 93 games. In addition, Mattingly was the Yankees’ hitting coach during Rodriguez’s early years in NY.

Rodriguez batted only.200 with nine home runs this season for the Yankees before his release.

That was his only hit, but home runs by Starlin Castro and Aaron Hicks padded New York’s lead to 6-3 and Girardi was comfortable giving A-Rod a last moment to cherish.

“I’ve given these fans a lot of headaches over the years”.

The 41-year-old designated hitter went 1-for-4 with an RBI double in his finale Friday night, a 6-3 win over Tampa Bay.

NY announced last weekend that this would be the final game in pinstripes for the 41-year-old, who will be released.

The week leading up to Rodriguez’s farewell was a mess, with Yankees manager Joe Girardi continuing to sit the three-time American League MVP after saying Sunday, “If he wants to play in every game, I’ll find a way”.

“But I didn’t hear you say the word”.

“I can’t think of anyone else where this has kind of happened, where you’ve announced on a Sunday that a guy was going to be released on Friday”, Yankees manager Joe Girardi said. He moved seamlessly to third [later in his career], so there’s no reason he couldn’t play first.

NY will owe him $7,103,825 for the rest of this year and $20 million for next, the final season of his $275 million, 10-year contract.

Having seen his lights go down on Broadway, is Miami 2017 in his future?

“I like Alex. I’ve always liked Alex”, Mattingly told reporters before Saturday night’s game against the White Sox.

He has not said he is retiring.

“I can’t do that anymore”, Rodriguez remembered telling him.