Love him or hate him, Alex Rodriguez was one of the best hitters in the game.
A-Rod hit 696 home runs in his 22-year career. He’s primarily remembered as a Yankee despite starting his career in Seattle – and nearly winning an MVP award – and then actually winning an MVP with the Texas Rangers.
Despite all of Rodriguez’s individual success, it wasn’t until 2009 – his 15th season in the majors – that he won his only World Series. It was a special team with the right pieces put together, including one that came over from the Red Sox.
Rodriguez was a guest on Audacy’s original podcast “The Bret Boone Podcast” and talked about the impact that Johnny Damon had on the Yankees clubhouse during his years there.
“When Johnny Damon walked into our clubhouse, we became a world championship team,” Rodriguez said. “When he left, we weren’t.”
Damon brought the championship swagger from the Red Sox to the Yankees in 2006. He ended up being a key part of their 2009 World Series victory.
The Red Sox-turned-Yankees outfielder hit .285 with 77 home runs during his four seasons in New York, including 24 homers in 2009. He turned it up when it mattered most, going 8-for-22 in the World Series with three game-changing steals.
After Damon helped reverse the curse in 2004, the Yankees failed to reach the ALCS again until 2009. Those extra years only added more appreciation for Rodriguez when he was finally able to lift the World Series trophy.
“After 15 years, I grew an incredible appreciation of how hard it is to be a part of a world championship team,” he said. “It was all worth it because of that.”
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