Derek Jeter and Alex Rodriguez are two of the biggest names to come out of baseball in the last two and a half decades. With talent in spades, the former teammates had it all – fame, glory, looks, and the skills in baseball to go with them. They were superstars. Starting out around the same time in Major League Baseball, their first meeting quickly led to a close relationship. But not every friendship is meant to last forever.
Jeter was the star of the Yankees, and Rodriguez constantly hit long balls with the Mariners. It was a special time for two young men discovering the realities of the baseball world together, even if they were on opposing teams. But just because they wore different jerseys on the field didn’t mean they had to keep up the rivalry off the field too.
Derek Jeter and Alex Rodriguez used to sleep over at each other’s houses
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Like a couple of best friends that are inseparable no matter their age, these young men in their early twenties were obsessed with each other. Whenever it was time for Mariners vs. the Yankees, there was none one more serious than Rodriguez vs Jeter. But once those uniforms came off, so did the competitive spirit, at least until the next match.
Julian Dimuro of Abstract Sports wrote about how a teammate even called them boyfriends. “A former teammate of Jeter’s once asked him “are you going to your boyfriend’s house?” when the Yankees played the Mariners in 1998. They were like inseparable little kids who got excited every time they saw each other,” Dimuro wrote.
One only needs to look at the magazines and interviews of the two of them together to understand what these friends truly were to each other during that brief period. But as time went on, so increased the jealousy.
The players’ friendship took a nasty turn
Derek Jeter is the kind of person who takes time to trust, but once a person has it, it’s the best feeling in the world. Equally so, if one breaks it, it’s not earned back easily. Second chances are not his style.
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The Yankees went on to achieve global fame, becoming more popular than perhaps any other team in MLB. Jeter’s name was cheered from the stands and hordes of fans came to support him. Meanwhile, Alex Rodriguez was stuck on an average team that, despite having good players, never really did as well. Jealousy was bound to arise.
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After some scathing comments from A-Rod about Jeter, the latter never truly forgave his ex-friend. Even today, they appear uncomfortable in public settings. The friendship will probably never go back to what it was back then.