A-Rod walked back his retirement talk last night - MLB

Yesterday Alex Rodriguez was pretty clear in speaking to ESPN New York that he wanted to retire following the 2017 season. His words: “I won’t play after next year. I’ve really enjoyed my time. For me, it is time for me to go home and be Dad.”

In a text to the Daily News last night, however, he walked it back a bit, saying “I’m thinking in terms of my contract which ends in 2017. After that, we’ll see what happens. I’ve got two years and more than 300 games to play.”

His publicist likewise kept the door open, speaking to USA Today:

“Nothing is ever official until you officially retire,’’ Berkowitz told USA TODAY Sports. “He has two years left on his current deal and plans to play it out, and then the contract will be done.’’

If he performs well, is it possible he would keep playing past 2017?

“He could,’’ Berkowitz said, “yes.’’

It all comes down to how he plays and how healthy he is, I presume. If he has a good 2016 and 2017 and if he’s within striking distance of Barry Bonds’ home run record, someone will probably give him a one-year deal for low dough. Probably the Yankees, actually, unless they have some killer DH option. If he doesn’t have two good years or if being 42-years-old affects his body like it affects almost everyone else’s, he’ll be done like he told ESPN.

Pretty simple. Or at least as simple as things can be when A-Rod is involved. If I had to bet I’d say it’s, I don’t know, an 80% shot that he’s done when his contract is up.Maybe 90%. 2015 was nice for him. The odds of him having two more seasons more or less like 2015 simply are not great.

I’ve come to like watching A-Rod, however, so I’m hoping to be wrong about that.

SEATTLE (AP) Aaron Judge homered for the third time in two games, Anthony Volpe and Greg Allen also went deep and the New York Yankees stretched their winning streak to four with a 10-2 victory over the Seattle Mariners on Tuesday night.

Judge hit a towering fly ball on the first pitch of the seventh inning from reliever Darren McCaughan that carried just enough to clear the fence in left-center field, even if it would not have been a homer at Yankee Stadium.

It was the 18th of the season for Judge, who hit a pair of homers in the series opener on Monday night.

While Judge hitting another homer will get the headlines, it was Volpe’s long ball that broke open the game. With two outs in the third inning, Seattle starter Logan Gilbert caught too much of the plate with a 1-2 slider and Volpe drove the pitch 413 feet for a three-run shot and a 6-0 lead. It was Volpe’s eighth homer of the season and snapped a 2-for-22 slide for the rookie.

Allen, filling in for injured center fielder Harrison Bader, hit his first of the season leading off the fourth inning. Isiah Kiner-Falefa also had a key two-run single in the first inning as the Yankees took advantage of an error to give starter Nestor Cortes a 3-0 advantage before he took the mound.

Kiner-Falefa had another two-run single in the ninth. New York has scored at least 10 runs in three straight games for the first time since Sept. 15-17, 2020.

Cortes (5-2) mostly cruised through five innings, allowing two runs and five hits with six strikeouts. Ty France and Teoscar Hernández had RBI doubles in the fifth inning. Judge nearly stole another hit from Hernández after robbing him of a homer on Monday, but his diving attempt at Hernández’s liner fell for a double.

Gilbert (3-3) lasted just four innings for the second time this season. The five earned runs allowed were a season-high and the four strikeouts matched a season-low.

SEE YA LATER

Seattle catcher Tom Murphy and manager Scott Servais were both ejected by plate umpire Brian Walsh in the sixth inning. Murphy was ejected after yelling toward first base umpire C.B. Bucknor following a check-swing that was called a strike. Servais argued the decision to eject Murphy and was quickly tossed by Walsh. It was the second ejection this season for Servais.

TRAINER’S ROOM

Yankees: Bader (hamstring) was placed on the 10-day IL after leaving Monday’s game in the third inning injuring his right hamstring running out an infield single. OF Franchy Cordero was recalled.

Mariners: McCaughan was recalled from Triple-A Tacoma to add a long reliever to the bullpen. RHP Juan Then was optioned to Tacoma. It was Seattle’s first roster move in 24 days.

UP NEXT

Yankees: RHP Clarke Schmidt (2-5, 5.58) took the loss despite allowing only one earned run over five innings in his last start against Baltimore. Schmidt has gone at least five inning in five of his last seven starts.

Mariners: RHP George Kirby (5-4, 3.43) was knocked around for seven earned runs and four home runs allowed in his last start against Pittsburgh. Both matched career highs.

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