Alex Rodriguez once opened up about the love-hate relationship between him and Yankees legend Derek Jeter 

MLB stars Alex Rodriguez and Derek Jeter's ups and downs throughout the years have been known by all. The duo's relationship took a lot of twists.

Rodriguez first met Jeter when he was drafted by the Seattle Mariners in 1994. Jeter had already joined them in the minor leagues. A-Rod once opened up about his love-hate relationship with his rival Jeter as a young player on the Mariners, as reported by Baseball Almanac.

"We (Derek Jeter and I) want to kill each other. I think we both drive each other and motivate each other. But, when we're off the field, we're like family. I think the nice thing about it is we became good friends before we even mad it to the big leagues. That makes it more of a healthy relationship."

"We (Derek Jeter and I) always talk about getting old, gray, and fat when our careers are over and just having a good time. He's like me. He wants to have a good time and be a good person. It's a weird situation for us. It's just like we're looking in the mirror. the only difference is I'm on the West Coast and he's on the East Coast," Rodriguez added.

Jeter and Rodriguez played an important role in the New York Yankees' success.

Alex Rodriguez and Derek Jeter on SI cover in 1997

Sports Illustrated featured a piece about the top shortstops in baseball in 1997, and the two athletes were featured on the cover. They were pictured hanging out with teammates Alex Gonzalez, Edgar Renteria, and Rey Ordonez in the magazine photo, and all five of them were shirtless.

ay in 1997, Derek Jeter and Alex Rodriguez on the cover of Sports Illustrated. #TodayInSports #OTD #MLB - TodayInSports

A-Rod joined the Yankees in 2004 and the two became teammates. The duo won their first World Series together, defeating the Philadelphia Phillies in 2009.

New York Yankees v Baltimore Orioles

Jeter left the league in 2014, and Rodriguez left two years later. Rodriguez wrote a lengthy message for Jeter on social media after he was inducted into the Baseball Hall of Fame in 2020.

To The Captain Derek Jeter - congratulations on taking your rightful place in the Baseball Hall of Fame where you will be, for eternity, as one of history’s greatest players, at any position, in any era. - Alex Rodriguez

Rodriguez recounted spending the night at Jeter's house when they were both still active MLB players in a joint interview with ESPN's Kay-Rod Cast in 2022.

"He was the ultimate bachelor," the athlete shared of Jeter's former lifestyle. "A great example of that is you open his fridge, there was nothing there."

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