"I'm focusing in on [these games] as this is it, I mean, like, this is it," A-Rod told a group of reporters in front of his locker in the cramped visitors' clubhouse at the old ballpark. "I'm not looking beyond that. I value the pinstripes. I value this organization. To me, this is it."
On Friday night, the Yankees have announced they will have a pregame ceremony honoring Rodriguez, beginning at 6:50 p.m. ET. First pitch has been pushed back to 7:35 p.m.
When it's all over, Rodriguez will have played in 2,784 games during the course of 22 seasons, and that's with missing 118 games in 2013 recovering from hip surgery and the entire 2014 season because of a drug-related suspension.
A-Rod went into his last road game on Thursday night with 696 homers, 3,114 hits, 2,084 RBIs and 2,021 runs scored, the only other player in Major League history aside from Hank Aaron to amass more than 600 homers, 3,000 hits, 2,000 RBIs and 2,000 runs scored.
Rodriguez's slash line of .295/.380/.550 is nothing to be ashamed of. Aaron finished his 23-year career in 1976 with a comparable line of .305/.374/.555. Aaron also hit 755 homers, second on the all-time list to the 762 smacked by Barry Bonds.
It's been a week racked with emotions for both A-Rod and Girardi, who has had to balance his job winning games and catering to a player who will be unconditionally released on Saturday.
A-Rod in Green Monster
NYY@BOS: A-Rod retrieves his number in Green Monster
Alex Rodriguez goes inside the Green Monster to receive a No. 13 souvenir prior to a game against the Red Sox
"I don't really want it to end this way," Girardi said. "This is not the way I envisioned this. I envisioned him hitting 30 home runs and being in the middle of our order every day. Obviously, the distraction will be gone when this is over, but this is not the way I envisioned this taking place."
What happens beyond that is anyone's guess. A-Rod will be paid the $27 million remaining on his contract through the end of the 2017 season and has agreed to act as an advisor and instructor for the Yankees next year.
A-Rod will formally become a free agent and can sign with any of the other 29 Major League teams for the remainder of the season at a pro-rated portion of the minimum, approximately $75,000.
To be certain, A-Rod believes he can still play, but he said on Thursday that he hasn't given the possibility of continuing to do so any thought.
A-Rod chats with young fan
NYY@BOS: A-Rod chats with young fan at Fenway
Alex Rodriguez chats with a young fan as the top of the 1st inning comes to a close at Fenway Park
"At this point, I've been so focused on this week," Rodriguez said. "I have plenty of emotion. I don't have any time or energy to focus on anything else. I'm just really looking forward to my last seven or eight at-bats."
The fact is, A-Rod is batting .203 with nine homers and 29 RBIs and is 1-for-20 since hitting his last homer in New York on July 18. That reality certainly has a lot to do with it.
"I mean, anything past Friday we can talk about next week," A-Rod added. "That'll be a new set of questions, but right now, it's really about tonight and tomorrow."
About Friday, A-Rod said that he approached Girardi about the possibility of starting at third base, the position he began to play in 2004 after the trade that brought him to the Yankees from the Rangers.
At that point, Rodriguez was already a seven-time American League All-Star at shortstop and the 2003 AL MVP. But he moved to third in New York to accommodate Derek Jeter, the incumbent Yankees captain and shortstop, who retired two years ago.
"Tuesday I came into [Girardi's] office and he told me what the plan was," A-Rod said. "And I said, 'Any chance I can play third base on Friday?' He just said, 'No.'
"It would've been fun. It wasn't a big request. I get that we're still [trying to win] games. I totally get the answer."
A-Rod has started only 29 times at third base since 2012 -- 27 times during an injury-truncated 2013 season, twice last year after returning from the suspension and not at all this season.
Rodriguez hasn't taken many ground balls during batting practice at third base, and that was a major factor in Girardi's decision.
"I mean, we thought about it, but he hasn't done any work," Girardi said. "And we're still in the business of trying to win games here. It's not like I wouldn't like to see it, but we're still in that part of the season where we're trying to win this."
About batting A-Rod cleanup, Girardi said: "We looked at the lineup and not many of our guys have had much success against [Eduardo] Rodriguez. I wasn't going to put three lefties in a row in situation like that. It's just kind of the way it worked out."
Barry M. Bloom is a national reporter for MLB.com and writes an MLBlog, Boomskie on Baseball. Follow @boomskie on Twitter. This story was not subject to the approval of Major League Baseball or its clubs.
Going-Away Rod: After NY exit, Miami mulls?
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