“Still Be in a Lot of Pain,” Alex Rodriguez Claims Hall of Fame Induction Would Leave Him Feeling Hollow

On Sunday, 14-time MLB All-Star Alex Rodriguez opened up about his chances of making it to the MLB Hall of Fame. In an interview with The Athletic, the former New York Yankees star claimed that he would be in a “lot of pain” and feel hollow from inside if he makes it to Cooperstown.

The shortstop was one of the biggest names of his generation. Following his success with the Seattle Mariners and the Texas Rangers, Rodriguez would join the Yankees in 2003 and finish off his career while repping the pinstripes in 2016.

In a 22-year career, A-Rod earned 14 All-Star nominations, won 3 MVP awards and hit 696 home runs, the 5th most by a player. He also played a key part in the Yankees’ 2009 World Series triumph. Despite these incredible achievements, he is yet to make it to the Hall of Fame.

The major reason for this is due to his connection with performance-enhancing drugs (PEDs). After his repeated denial of using banned substances, in 2009, he admitted to using them. He, however, claimed that he only used them during the 2001, 02 and 03 seasons during his time with the Rangers.

In 2013, the Biogenesis Scandal broke out which claimed that Rodriguez had been using several PEDs, including Human Growth Hormone (HGH) and testosterone. Following an investigation by the MLB, he was handed a 211-game suspension, which was later reduced to 162 games. This saw him miss the entirety of the 2014 season.

Since his retirement in 2016, A-Rod has continued to dominate the headlines. Earlier this year, he was on the Hall of Fame ballot for a 4th year running. However, he once again came up short and received just 37.1 percent of the votes. A player needs a minimum of 75 percent of votes to reach Cooperstown.

Alex Rodriguez received 37.1% of the vote in his fourth year on the Baseball Hall of Fame ballot pic.twitter.com/MiyuaBumDb

— Yankees Videos (@snyyankees) January 21, 2025

With his failed induction, he will return to the ballot for a 5th year. The 50-year-old, however, claims that he has divorced himself from the idea of reaching the Hall of Fame one day.

I have a life today that I didn’t have for the first 40 years. If I went to the Hall of Fame, in a weird way, I would be hollow inside. I would still be in a lot of pain.

Alex Rodriguez told Jason Jones of The Athletic

Alex Rodriguez said he has “divorced” himself from the idea of being in the Hall of Fame.

Much of that thought has come with the assistance of therapy.

The self-proclaimed “recovering narcissist” spoke about his new focus in an exclusive interview with The Athletic ⤵️ pic.twitter.com/5LOPcojYSc

— The Athletic (@TheAthletic) December 28, 2025

If it were not for the PEDs, A-Rod could have been a first-ballot Hall of Famer. If he fails again in the 2026 ballot, he will have 5 more years on the ballot before he gets dropped.

Alex Rodriguez recently blasted former MLB Commissioner Bud Selig’s induction into the Hall of Fame

While Alex Rodriguez may have come to terms regarding his failure to make it to the MLB Hall of Fame, he was not too pleased with Bud Selig‘s induction. He would call him out for this.

Selig served as the Commissioner of MLB from 1998 to 2015. He would oversee, in what is now termed the “steroid era” by some fans. Apart from A-Rod, several more stars like Barry Bonds, Roger Clemens, Mark McGwire and Sammy Sosa also did not make it to the Hall of Fame.

In an appearance on Stephen A. Smith’s radio show, Rodriguez called out his induction as Selig was the Commissioner when these big stars were alleged to have used PEDs.

All of this stuff you’re talking about was under Bud Selig’s watch. And the fact that those two guys are not in, but somehow, Bud Selig is in the Hall of Fame, that to me feels like there’s a little bit, some hypocrisy around that.

Alex Rodriguez said on Stephen A. Smith’s radio show

Alex Rodriguez calls out ‘hypocrisy’ in Bud Selig being a Hall of Famer https://t.co/hoEN5GbXv4 pic.twitter.com/IFxv3acjqn

— Awful Announcing (@awfulannouncing) November 25, 2025

Selig was inducted into the Hall of Fame in 2017 by the Today’s Game Era Committee. He received a total of 93.8 percent votes from the 16-member panel.

Speaking of the Hall of Fame, Bonds and Clemens recently faced a massive setback. The two of them, along with Fernando Valenzuela and Gary Sheffield, received fewer than 5 votes from the Contemporary Baseball era committee. They will not be eligible for election in the 2028 cycle due to this.

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