Alex Rodriguez admitted to Evan and Tiki on Thursday that he didn’t love the sight of Joey Gallo wearing his No. 13 in Yankee pinstripes when the Yankees acquired Gallo at the 2021 trade deadline.
“It did not make me happy,” Rodriguez said.
Rodriguez also admitted that he wants to see his number in Monument Park, but that it will be tough given his job as a TV analyst with FOX, where he does not sugarcoat his assessment of the current state of his former team.
“I’m too critical to the Yankees, and that doesn’t help my case,” Rodriguez said. “But I get paid to tell the truth…I want my number retired. If it’s not retired, so be it.
“Yeah, of course it bothers me. It’s less about bother, but of course it would be nice to be recognized in one of the coolest places to be in Yankee history, but that’s not my decision.”
Asked by Evan if fans could warm up to the idea of retiring his number if the Yankees’ World Series drought continues, making the 2009 title even more precious, Rodriguez stressed that he would rather see New York end that drought.
“I could buy that theory, but I don’t want that to happen,” Rodriguez said. “I want them to win. I want them to turn things around.”