Thunderstorm cuts short Yankees' pregame ceremony for A-Rod

NEW YORK -- Mother Nature put a damper on Alex Rodriguez's pregame ceremony.
He was always a lightning rod, after all.
Rodriguez's tribute before his final game with the New York Yankees on Friday night lasted just five minutes due to a massive thunder and lightning storm.
No. 13 came out of the dugout at 7:02 p.m. ET to a loud ovation. But by 7:07 p.m., he and his special guests were heading for cover -- along with the rest of the Yankee Stadium crowd.
The ceremony began with a short video tribute of his career highlights as ominous, dark clouds moved over the ballpark. Then A-Rod was joined on the field by his family, Reggie Jackson, Didi Gregorius, Starlin Castro, Hal Steinbrenner and Mariano Rivera, who received a raucous ovation himself.
A-Rod laughed while standing with his daughters as thunder boomed in the background. Rodriguez received a framed jersey during the ceremony and a base signed by all of his teammates.
The game against the Tampa Bay Rays started after a delay of nearly an hour. Rodriguez, in his first at-bat in the first inning, lined an RBI double to right field, making it 1-1.
Earlier, a massive media contingent surrounded the batting cage as Rodriguez took batting practice for the final time in his Yankees career, which began in 2004.
The Yankees will be releasing Rodriguez after Friday's game. He will then become a special adviser for the team starting in spring training, assuming he doesn't try to continue his baseball career elsewhere.
Brandon Steiner of Steiner Sports, which has a game-used memorabilia deal with the Yankees, said that his company will be selling items used by Rodriguez in the game -- during the game.
Rodriguez will wear three jerseys, one every three innings, Steiner said. The jersey for the first three innings was being auctioned off on the company's website as the game started. The minimum bid was set at $7,500. Game-used cleats were also available (minimum bid: $1,500), his hat (minimum bid: $1,000) and batting gloves (minimum bid: $100).
Despite Friday night being Rodriguez' last game in pinstripes the Yankees will pay him through next season. If he doesn't sign with another team, he will end his career with $452 million in career earnings and four home runs shy of 700.