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NEW YORK — Several first-time attendees were on hand for Old Timers’ Day at Yankee Stadium on Saturday, but only Alex Rodriguez had his relationship with the Yankees deteriorate to the point where he wondered if he would ever be welcomed to the annual celebration.

“I was actually surprised that I got an invitation,” Rodríguez said during a press conference alongside other members of the Yankees’ 2009 championship team, which was commemorated on its 15th anniversary. “Honored. Very happy.”

Rodriguez spoke sitting between Derek Jeter and A.J. Burnett on a dais. Mariano Rivera and Joe Girardi, the 2009 team’s manager, were seated on the ends. They shared memories of the 2009 club, the last one to win a World Series for the franchise. They offered their thoughts on Aaron Judge and winning. Jeter cracked a few jokes.

They all wore Yankees home jerseys. For Rodríguez, that was especially noteworthy: The last time he donned the pinstripes was on August 12, 2016 — the day of his last game as a major leaguer.

“He wears it at home all the time,” Jeter quipped.

Said Rodriguez: “I’ve been back broadcasting for FOX and some of my work with ESPN, but I think just back in the fold with the uniform on, I think is pretty unique. And it’s my first time back and I’m excited to be back. I’m very proud of my time in New York and I’m very proud to be part of a champion team. So, happy to be back.”

Now the question is whether the Yankees will one day honor Rodriguez with a plaque at Monument Park.

“I’ve thought about it,” said Rodriguez, who turned 49 last month. “I would love to be in, but obviously that’s not my decision. But I honor everything about the New York Yankees, and it would be an honor.”

In a vacuum, Rodriguez’s production in New York warrants a spot. His Yankees tenure, which began in 2004, included two AL MVP Awards, seven All-Star nods, 351 home runs, and that 2009 title over 12 seasons. He collected his 3,000th career hit and passed Willie Mays for fourth on the all-time home run list as a Yankee.

The tenure, however, is just as remembered for its off-the-field drama. Among the lowlights: He admitted in 2009 to taking steroids over a three-year period while with the Texas Rangers and in 2013 was levied a 211-game suspension. for his ties to the Biogenesis clinic. He served the ban, which was reduced to 162 games, for the entire 2014 season.

In June 2013, general manager Brian Cashman, when informed that Rodriguez had announced he was ready to return from hip surgery, told a reporter, “Alex should just shut the f– up.” Rodriguez filed three separate lawsuits that involved the Yankees, Major League Baseball, commissioner Bud Selig, and the MLB Players Association. All three were dropped before he returned to the team in 2015 upon serving his suspension.

Rodriguez’s standing with the organization was illustrated five years after his retirement: While the Yankees have waited an extended period to give a retired star’s number to another player — if it’s ever passed on at all — the Yankees waited just four seasons before giving Rodriguez’s No. 13 to Joey Gallo in 2021. Jazz Chisholm, acquired last month, now wears the number.

On Saturday, all that was forgotten. More than eight years since hearing his name announced in the Bronx, Rodríguez was introduced to cheers for Saturday’s pregame ceremony. Former teammates cited Rodriguez’s performance during the 2009 postseason, after having previous October struggles haunt him, as essential for their championship run.

Rodriguez, back in pinstripes, soaked it all in.

“It’s my first time back in a long time,” Rodriguez said. “I love being a Yankee. It’s a great family.”

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Sale, Crochet named comeback players of year

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Sale, Crochet named comeback players of year

LAS VEGAS — Left-handers Chris Sale of the Atlanta Braves and Garrett Crochet of the Chicago White Sox won Major League Baseball’s Comeback Player of the Year awards on Thursday.

Cleveland right-hander Emmanuel Clase won his second AL Reliever of the Year award and St. Louis righty Ryan Helsley won the NL honor.

Los Angeles Dodgers star Shohei Ohtani joined David Ortiz as the only players to win four straight Outstanding Designated Hitter awards. Ohtani and the New York YankeesAaron Judge won Hank Aaron Awards as the outstanding offensive performers in their leagues.

Major League Baseball made the announcements at its All-MLB Awards Show.

Sale, 35, was 18-3 with a 2.38 ERA and 225 strikeouts in 177⅔ innings for the NL’s first pitching triple crown since the Dodgers’ Clayton Kershaw in 2011. He earned his eighth All-Star selection and first since 2018.

Sale helped Boston to the 2018 World Series title but made just 56 starts from 2020-23, going 17-18 with a 4.86 ERA, 400 strikeouts and 79 walks over 298⅓ innings. He was acquired by Boston from the White Sox in December 2016 and made nine trips to the injured list with the Red Sox, mostly with shoulder and elbow ailments. He had Tommy John surgery on March 30, 2020, and returned to a big league mound on Aug. 14, 2021.

Sale fractured a rib while pitching in batting practice in February 2022 during the management lockout. On July 17, in his second start back, he broke his left pinkie finger when he was hit by a line drive off the bat of the Yankees’ Aaron Hicks. Sale broke his right wrist while riding a bicycle en route to lunch on Aug. 6, ending his season.

Crochet, 25, was 6-12 with a 3.58 ERA over 32 starts for a White Sox team that set a post-1900 record of 121 losses, becoming a first-time All-Star. He struck out 209 and walked 33 in 146 innings.

He had Tommy John surgery on April 5, 2022, and returned to the major leagues on May 18, 2023. Crochet had a 3.55 ERA in 13 relief appearances in 2023, and then joined the rotation this year.

Sale and Crochet were chosen in voting by MLB.com beat writers.

Clase and Helsley were unanimous picks by a panel that included Hall of Famers Trevor Hoffman, Mariano Rivera, Dennis Eckersley and Rollie Fingers, along with John Franco and Billy Wagner. The AL award is named after Rivera and the NL honor after Hoffman.

A three-time All-Star, Clase was 4-2 with a 0.61 ERA, 66 strikeouts and 10 walks in 74⅓ innings, holding batters to a .154 average. The 26-year-old converted 47 of 50 save chances, including his last 47.

Voting was based on the regular season. Clase was 0-2 with a 9.00 ERA in the playoffs, allowing three home runs, one more than his regular-season total.

Helsley, a two-time All-Star, was 7-4 with a 2.04 ERA and 49 saves in 53 chances. He struck out 79 and walked 23 in 66⅓ innings.

Ohtani became the first player with 50 or more homers and 50 or more stolen bases in a season. A two-way star limited to hitting following elbow surgery, Ohtani batted .310 and led the NL with 54 homers and 130 RBIs while stealing 59 bases.

Ortiz won the DH award five years in a row from 2003-07.

The DH award, named after Edgar Martinez, is picked in voting by team beat writers, broadcasters and public relations departments. MLB.com writers determined the finalists for the Aaron awards, and a fan vote was combined with picks from a panel of Hall of Famers and former winners to determine the selections.

Judge led the major leagues with 58 homers and 144 RBIs while hitting .322.

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Georgia leading rusher Etienne ruled out vs. Vols

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Georgia leading rusher Etienne ruled out vs. Vols

No. 12 Georgia will be without leading rusher Trevor Etienne for Saturday’s showdown against No. 7 Tennessee.

Etienne was downgraded from questionable to out on Thursday night’s SEC availability report.

Etienne left Georgia’s win over Florida with an upper-body injury on Nov. 2 and did not return. He played limited snaps in last week’s 28-10 loss at Ole Miss, carrying the ball six times for 24 yards.

Etienne leads the Bulldogs with 477 rushing yards and seven touchdowns this season.

The loss is another blow to Georgia’s banged-up backfield. Cash Jones is also listed as questionable while Branson Robinson remains out after missing the past three games with a knee injury.

That leaves true freshman Nate Frazier as the only healthy Bulldogs running back who has played meaningful snaps this year. Frazier is second on the team with 333 rushing yards and three touchdowns.

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QB Castellanos exits after losing BC starting job

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QB Castellanos exits after losing BC starting job

Boston College quarterback Thomas Castellanos, who lost his starting job earlier this week, will not be returning to the team, he announced Thursday night.

Castellanos, who started 12 games last season and retained the top job under new coach Bill O’Brien, wrote on X that “unfortunately, all good things come to an end, even though it’s sooner than I would like.” He did not mention the transfer portal in his departing message and has not officially entered it. The junior from Waycross, Georgia, started his career at UCF and appeared in five games in 2022.

O’Brien said Tuesday that Grayson James, who replaced Castellanos in last week’s win against Syracuse, will start Saturday when Boston College visits No. 14 SMU. Castellanos “wasn’t real thrilled” with the decision, O’Brien said, adding that the quarterback decided to step away from the team for several days.

Castellanos had 2,248 passing yards and 1,113 rushing yards last season under coach Jeff Hafley, passing for 15 touchdowns and adding 13 on the ground. He had 18 touchdown passes and only five interceptions this season, but his accuracy dipped in recent weeks, and he completed only 2 of 7 passes against Syracuse before being replaced.

In his statement, Castellanos thanked both coaching staffs he played for at Boston College and wrote that he had “some of the best experiences of my life in the Eagles Nest and I will truly cherish these memories forever.”

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