For much of his career, Alex Rodriguez wore No. 3, that was until he became a member of the New York Yankees. Unfortunately for A-Rod, some guy named Babe Ruth wore the number for the Bronx Bombers and became an all-time legend.
The Yanks retired Ruth’s number back in 1948. So when A-Rod came to the Bronx, he had to pivot and ended up picking the ominous No. 13 after being traded by the Texas Rangers.
•
He struggled during his first few games in the pinstripes. He faced off against the Boston Red Sox, going 0-for-12 with Boston fans heckling him. It got to the point where former manager Joe Torre asked Brian Cashman if they could bring back No. 3 for A-Rod.
“So, can we bring Babe Ruth’s number out of retirement for A-Rod?” – Torre asked Cashman.
While a joke, there was no way the club would bring back No. 3 for A-Rod. However, Torre did not stop there, he thought of another way that Rodriguez could rock his number.
“Actually, I thought we could put a slash between the ‘1’ and the ‘3’ and do it this way” – said Torre.
While you cannot wear a fraction on the field, Brian Cashman believed they were getting a fraction of A-Rod’s worth. He was not too impressed with the slugger right out of the gate.
“And we’re getting a third of the production” – said Cashman.
While A-Rod struggled initially in the Bronx, it did not take long for him to find his groove. He finished that season hitting .286 with 36 home runs, 106 RBIs, and 112 runs scored.
Will the Yankees ever retire Alex Rodriguez’s No. 13?
There is no denying that all baseball players want to see their jersey number retired by the club they spent the most time with. It is one of the biggest honors in the game.
Alex Rodriguez would love to see No. 13 retired by the New York Yankees. No player has worn the number since Joey Gallo wore it during the 2021 season.
However, that is a debate many Yanks fans have had throughout the years. While many consider him a top-ten Yankee, he has a complicated history with the admission to using PEDs during his career.
As of now, the organization has no plans of retiring the 14-time All-Star’s jersey number.
