Alex Rodriguez is revealing why Derek Jeter and him had a strained relationship for years.
Prior to becoming New York Yankees teammates in 2004 -- Rodriguez and Jeter would be on the MLB team together until Jeter's retirement in 2014 -- ARod shared that a magazine article created tension between the two.
“That Esquire article, I thought it was pretty vanilla,” Rodriguez said regarding the 2001 article in episode 2 of HBO’s Alex vs. ARod, which premiered Thursday, November 13. “I complimented the whole team, and they took that and ran with it. That put a strain in our relationship for years.”
While ARod was giving props to the Yankees in the article, it was also looked as throwing a bit of shade to the Yankees' shortstop.
“Jeter’s been blessed with great talent around him,” he said. “So he’s never had to lead. He doesn’t have to, he can just go and play and have fun, and hit second. I mean, you know, hitting second is totally different than hitting third or fourth in a lineup because you go into New York trying to stop Bernie [Williams] and [Paul] O’Neill and everybody. You never say, ‘Don’t let Derek beat you.’ That’s never your concern.”
While Rodriguez might not have gotten a welcome basket from Jeter when they became teammates in 2004, it was clear that ARod was a good addition to the team. However, the drama continued and seemingly spilled onto the field. In 2006, the two collided on the field while trying to catch a pop-up hit, which ended with the ball being dropped between the two players.
Despite a bit of miscommunication, they were able to get it settled and win together -- even if it wasn't that game. Rodriguez and Jeter would end up winning the 2009 World Series against the Philadelphia Phillies, proving that the Texas Rangers trade was worth the awkwardness in the beginning.
More lifestyle news:
Jennifer Lopez addresses why Alex Rodriguez engagement ended
NFL legend jokingly calls out Stefon Diggs for tossing ball at cheerleader
- NFL host Kay Adams gives update on love life