Rodriguez says American sport’s greatest rivalry will be a big hit in London
WHEN Alex Rodriguez touched down on board a private jet in London late on Sunday night, it was the latest s t a te me n t o f intent from Major League Baseball.
The man nicknamed A-Rod is one of the sport’s megastars and his services do not come cheap.
After all, in 2017, he was just outside the top-10 highest-paid players — and that was without hitting a single ball. He retired in 2016 and his £16million salary was merely to act as an advisor to the New York Yankees.
In all, it is estimated that baseball has earned him well in excess of £300m over the course of his career.
Rather than letting the sport dip its toe in the water, MLB commissioner Rob Manfred, has instead opted to go all in by announcing the first games in England will be between the Yankees and World Series champions Boston Red Sox on June 29 and 30 at London Stadium. The arrival of A-Rod in the capital to promote the event sums up the ambition succinctly.
Like the MLB’s message when the games were announced in March, the word from Rodriguez is, quite simply, that the sport is in London to stay — without a ticket being sold or a ball being pitched.
“London is central to the growth of the game,” said the 43-year-old. “It’s here for decades. We’ve started with the biggest and best, in the Yankees suggest nervousness from the MLB about how readily the tickets might sell, although the MLB and Rodriguez himself insist there is no such sentiment.
“I can tell from my own personal experiences back at home that everyone that can will be flying across the pond for these two games,” he said.
“Everyone’s been asking about tickets. If it had been five straight games between the Yankees and Red Sox they would have still sold out.”
The Yankees-Red Sox rivalry is one of the fiercest in American sport and has been going on for more than a century. As the most recognised team in the world, the Yankees taking on not only their old rival, but the winners of the World Series, the Red Sox, is the ultimate declaration of intent for the sport’s future in London.
With more MLB matches scheduled for London in 2020 and, for decades beyond should the likes of Manfred and Rodriguez get their wish, one wonders how much the teams matter and how readily London Stadium tickets could shift if it were, say, the Miami Marlins and Tampa Bay Rays, the franchises with the lowest attendances in 2018.
Rodriguez knows the sport needs new superstar names to sell it abroad and believes, i n Ya n k e e A a r o n Judge (left), last year’s American League rookie of the year, it has just that come London in June. “I’ve known him for a long time. He’s like a little brother to me,” he said. “He’s an interesting guy — he’s adopted by wonderful, well-educated parents, and his brother teaches English in Korea. “He’s larger than life. He’s 6ft 7in and 280 pounds (20st), he’s got a 30in-plus vertical jump. He’s an amazing athlete with so much to come.”
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