It was a moment roughly 16 months in the making: A-Rod, in pinstripes, playing in a baseball game.
Alex Rodriguez made his competitive spring debut Monday afternoon in Tampa in a Yankees intrasquad game — batting cleanup, no less.
The disgraced slugger, who is attempting to prove his health and effectiveness after being suspended the entire 2014 season for buying and using Biogenesis PEDs, was the designated hitter for the Gator team, managed by Ron Guidry.
Most of the Yankees regulars played in the intrasquad game, which will feature a pitching machine in lieu of live pitchers. Seriously.
Rodriguez finished 0-for-2 against the mechanized pitching. In the bottom of the first, he grounded out on a chopper to third base and he popped out to right field in the fifth.
Manager Joe Girardi said Rodriguez will debut in an official game Wednesday, at home against the Phillies. He will not travel to Tuesday’s spring training opener in nearby Clearwater, Fla., against the Phillies.