At least Alex Rodriguez isn’t deluding himself.
During Fox’s pre-game show before the Mets-Phillies game from London, Rodriguez was walking around Monument Park at Yankees Stadium with Derek Jeter, David Ortiz and Kevin Burkhardt.
After Jeter talked about what it meant to have his No. 2 back there, Ortiz asked A-Rod when his No. 13 would get retired by the Yankees.
“Papi, you have a better chance of getting your number retired here than I do,” Rodriguez joked.
“Ouch,” Burkhardt responded.
What makes the comments even more stinging is Ortiz was one of the franchise’s biggest nemeses with the Red Sox
Rodriguez did help the Yankees win a World Series in 2009, but his 12-year career in The Bronx was a controversial one.
The Yankees frequently floundered in the playoffs and Rodriguez was suspended for all of the 2014 season for using performance-enhancing drugs.
He also threatened to sue the Yankees at one point and had a love/hate relationship with fans, who alternated between cheering and booing him.
Still, “FORG1V3” shirts were sold on Opening Day of 2015 and he was given a standing ovation by The Bronx crowd as he left the field for his final game in 2016.
All told, Rodriguez hit .283 with a .900 OPS and two MVPs in his 12 seasons as a Yankee.
Back in October, Rodriguez told Fox Sports Digital he would love to see his number 13 retired one day.
“I would love that – that would be a dream come true,” Rodriguez said. “But that’s Hal Steinbrenner’s and Randy Levine’s decision. If they say it’s a good thing, I’ll be the first one there. If not, I’ll still love the Yankees and support the Yankees and hope they win a championship this year.”
But as he joked on Saturday, he isn’t expecting it to happen.