Time really does fly. Just a few years ago Alex Rodriguez used to stand at the plate to terrorize every pitcher. Now, he’s enjoying the Olympics, getting tanned, and just having the best post-retirement life. But that doesn’t mean that the love for baseball has vanished. August 12, 2016, marked the end of his active career with the New York Yankees. So with 8 years since then, it was obvious a social media post would be made. 

And that is what Alex Rodriguez did. The legend posted an emotional video of the last game that A-Rod played as a Yankee. He was accompanied by his daughters then and had a lot of tears in his eyes. The legend got a run-double and played 3rd base. But while the post was supposed to be an emotional tribute it gave the fans a bad memory too. How? Well, simply put, A-Rod’s retirement wasn’t without some controversies. 

2016 was an unexpectedly tough year for Alex Rodriguez. Yes, he was coming off a 33-homer 2015 but there was a visible decline in everything he did. But still, A-Rod started the year with 689 home runs. Just 11 short of that esteemed 700 mark. It would be just a matter of time before Rodriguez would hit it – that’s what everyone thought. However, that was not even close to what happened.

Alex Rodriguez averaged just .200 and had an OPS of just .598. Still, he hit 7 home runs and reached the 696 mark. Would he have touched that 700 mark if he played the whole season? Possibly. But then rumors began swirling that the Yankees were actively trying to get rid of him. That the team was pushing out the veteran. Yes, there were denials but when Rodriguez retired, fans became convinced that the Bronx Bombers had played foul. Perhaps that’s why 8 years after the incident, A-Rod’s fans still have some anger with Hal Steinbrenner.

Yankees fans still hold a grudge for Alex Rodriguez’s retirement

The anger was quite palpable in the comment section after Rodriguez made the post. “Pettiest thing Hal ever did was not allow him to get to 700,” said a fan. That is a sentiment that is quite common among the A-Rod fanatics. How could the New York Yankees not try to at least give A-Rod a chance at history? But then, one can’t deny that Rodriguez’s performance has deteriorated quite a bit since the start of 2016.

“Retire his number,” demanded one fan. That is another demand that many in the Yankee Nation have made. Even Alex Rodriguez wants his shirt number to be retired. However, one can’t deny that A-Rod’s relationship with the Yankees didn’t end on a positive note. The star had sued a doctor working in the Pinstripes for endangering his health. That was the start of a downward spiral in their relationship.

“The end of ARod brought in the beginning of Aaron Judge,” noted a Bronx Faithful. That is true. Coincidentally just a day later on August 13, Aaron Judge made his debut. The Pinstripes had lost one generational hitter only to stumble into another one just a day later. That is quite some luck, right? More teams wish they had something similar.

“I was there. And what the Steinbrenners and Cashman did to that man, has haunted us for a while. The bad karma that came from that is crazy,” wrote another user. Later he referred to the Yankees’ continuous losses in the ALCS as being the result of the bad karma that they got for treating Alex Rodriguez unfairly. While his feelings are understandable, it is tough to decide whether it really is the karma that is affecting the Yankees.

“He would’ve reached 700 if not for all the trouble he got into,” one commenter wrote. By troubles, the fan is of course referring to the 162-game ban that A-Rod faced in 2014 for PED usage. That one lost year pretty much derailed his entire career. It also forced him to miss out on a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity to hit 700 homers; a lot would’ve happened had he not missed that year, right?

So as it stands, Alex Rodriguez’s retirement anniversary has given the New York Yankees fans a bad flashback. Despite there being countless congratulatory messages, they can’t help but wonder ‘what if”? What’s your take on this? Share in the comments.