Yankees Fans Bid A-Dieu to A-Rod

ByPHOTOGRAPHY AND REPORTING BY SARA NAOMI LEWKOWICZ
August 17, 2016, 10:50 AM

— --

fter 12 tumultuous years in the Bronx, Alex Emmanuel Rodriguez played his final game in pinstripes on Friday, having helped slug the New York Yankees to one World Series title -- and helped whiff them out of eight other Octobers. Along the way, A-Rod won two American League MVP Awards and was handed a historic 211-game ban from baseball for his role in the Biogenesis performance-enhancing drug scandal. In an appeals process that ultimately reduced his suspension to 162 games -- the entirety of the 2014 season -- his battle with Major League Baseball and the Yankees turned bitter. Since then, he has worked to repair the damage with his team -- which now employs him as a special adviser after serving him with his unconditional release -- and with his team's fans, who seem to root for and revile him in equal measure. With one final chance to say goodbye, ESPN.com spoke to fans on the night of A-Rod's Yankee Stadium farewell. Their words painted a picture of a love-hate relationship between the tainted but talented slugger and those who followed him, both on and off the field.

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fter 12 tumultuous years in the Bronx, Alex Emmanuel Rodriguez played his final game in pinstripes on Friday, having helped slug the New York Yankees to one World Series title -- and helped whiff them out of eight other Octobers. Along the way, A-Rod won two American League MVP Awards and was handed a historic 211-game ban from baseball for his role in the Biogenesis performance-enhancing drug scandal. In an appeals process that ultimately reduced his suspension to 162 games -- the entirety of the 2014 season -- his battle with Major League Baseball and the Yankees turned bitter. Since then, he has worked to repair the damage with his team -- which now employs him as a special adviser after serving him with his unconditional release -- and with his team's fans, who seem to root for and revile him in equal measure. With one final chance to say goodbye, ESPN.com spoke to fans on the night of A-Rod's Yankee Stadium farewell. Their words painted a picture of a love-hate relationship between the tainted but talented slugger and those who followed him, both on and off the field.

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