"I'm excited -- you never really prep for this day, but here it is," Rodriguez said. "Hopefully, I get to enjoy it. I know I'm going to savor every moment, every at-bat."
Despite knowing this will be his final time on the field as an active Yankees player, Rodriguez said that he felt "at peace." Part of the reason is that Rodriguez will maintain a connection to the organization, having been invited to serve as a special advisor to managing general partner Hal Steinbrenner following his release.
"With all my screw-ups and how badly I've acted, the fact that I'm walking out the door and Hal wants me as part of the family, that's [equal to] hitting 800 home runs for me," Rodriguez said. "That's something I'll be able to share with my daughters for a long time."
The parting has not been perfect; Rodriguez entered play on Friday batting .199 with nine home runs and 30 RBIs, and manager Joe Girardi mentioned his struggles against right-handed pitching in particular as evidence that the 41-year-old's bat is no longer quick enough to help the Yankees chase an American League Wild Card spot.
"If this was Sept. 30, then everything would be totally different," Girardi said. "Then I could do whatever I want. I could play him at every position. I could pitch him if he wanted to. … We just haven't seen the explosiveness and the productiveness we'd seen the first four months of last year."
Rodriguez said that his recent relationship with Girardi has been "awkward and difficult," but though Rodriguez was miffed by the benchings, he said that he and Girardi would be fine in the long run. In fact, Rodriguez said that he plans to continue watching the team's games on TV, cheering on his teammates from afar.
"If I wake up on time tomorrow, I would watch tomorrow's game," Rodriguez said. "But I may have a couple of cocktails tonight, so I may not wake up by game time tomorrow. But I'll definitely watch Sunday's game."
Unless he receives a phone call. Just four home runs shy of 700, Rodriguez could sign with another organization to chase that milestone; the Marlins have been rumored as one such destination, and the Yankees would have no quarrel if he followed through.
Pulling into work one last time. Thank you to all of my supporters and especially the great @Yankees fans. http://pic.twitter.com/QYPnZ41o6E
— Alex Rodriguez (@AROD) August 12, 2016
Rodriguez said again on Friday that he has not looked past wearing the pinstripes.
"I said on Sunday that my horizon is Friday, and it still is," Rodriguez said. "I'm thinking about the game, I'm thinking about Chris Archer, who has given me fits in the past. We want to win the game tonight. That's still my approach.
"After all of this, I'm going to need a long nap to recover and I'll see where life takes me. Right now, I value wearing this uniform. For me, the Yankees pinstripes is enough."
Bryan Hoch has covered the Yankees for MLB.com since 2007. Follow him on Twitter @bryanhoch, on Facebook and read his MLBlog, Bombers Beat. This story was not subject to the approval of Major League Baseball or its clubs.
After day of reflection, A-Rod 'at peace'
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