12 players you totally forgot were Yankees

By Ryan Morik | Apr 27, 2020

NEW YORK, NY - APRIL 01: (NEW YORK DAILIES OUT) Kevin Youkilis #36 of the New York Yankees in action against the Boston Red Sox during Opening Day at Yankee Stadium on April 1, 2013 in the Bronx borough of New York City. The Red Sox defeated the Yankees 8-2. (Photo by Jim McIsaac/Getty Images) /

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Photo by Bruce Kluckhohn/MLB Photos via Getty Images /

Ivan Rodriguez

When you get a chance, watch the pregame ceremony of the final game at Yankee Stadium.

Yogi Berra was standing behind home plate receiving the loudest ovation of the night. He was joined by Elston Howard’s daughter, Thurman Munson’s son and current catchers Jorge Posada and PUDGE!

Pudge Rodriguez deserves to be in the conversation with Berra, Howard and Munson among some of the best catchers of all time. He’s a Hall-of-Famer, 14-time All Star, 13-time Gold Glove Award winner and the 1999 AL MVP.

But in 2008, he was a midseason acquisition after Posada was injured. He played in just 33 games, hit just .219 and hit only two home runs. Sure, no one was expecting him to be a .300 hitter anymore, or blast 20-plus home runs. But when Jose Molina is outplaying you, it’s rough.

Pudge, of course, earned a World Series rings with the Marlins in 2003, who beat his beloved Yankees that year. Sources said that Pudge was legitimately torn between the Rangers and the Yankees for the cap that he’d be donned with on his Hall of Fame plaque.

But his 13 years in Texas seemed to outweigh his 33 games in the Bronx.

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