Alex Rodriguez retires from baseball
Sunday 7 August 2016 17:39, UK
Alex Rodriguez has announced his retirement from major league baseball in the United States and will play his final match this Friday.
The 41-year-old New York Yankee will remain with the team as a special adviser and instructor, and he ends his career as one of the most prolific and polarising figures in baseball history.
His last match will be against Tampa Bay at the Yankee Stadium, with A-Rod telling a news conference on Sunday: "This is a tough day. I love this game and I love this team.
"Saying goodbye may be the hardest part of the job."
Rodriguez has 696 home runs and trails only Barry Bonds (762), Hank Aaron (755) and Babe Ruth (714) on the all-time MLB list.
However, his form this season has been patchy, which meant his relegation to the bench for most of the past month.
The decision means Rodriguez has been released from his 10-year, $275m contract that was due to end on December 31, 2017.
His Major League career began with Seattle Mariners in 1994 and his numbers rank among the best in baseball history but has also seen his reputation tarnished by performance enhancing drugs.
He missed the entire 2014 season due to a doping suspension.
