Alex Rodriguez discusses Juan Soto-Aaron Judge, Shohei Ohtani, best teammates

FOX is home to a bevy of special moments during the MLB season, including the World Series, London Series, All-Star Game and Field of Dreams game.

Furthermore, one of those standout games this season is an upcoming Negro Leagues tribute game at Rickwood Field between the San Francisco Giants and St. Louis Cardinals on June 20 (7:15 p.m. ET on FOX and the FOX Sports app). The ballpark was previously the home of the Negro Leagues’ Birmingham Black Barons (1925-62).

Former MLB superstar and FOX MLB studio analyst Alex Rodriguez discussed the significance of this game on the latest edition of “Kevin Harvick‘s Happy Hour “ podcast.

“You really can’t say enough about the job that MLB — under [Commissioner] Rob Manfred’s leadership — [has done in] bringing this type of awareness to a great, rich history of baseball and some of the greats,” Rodriguez said. “It’s really a phenomenal time, and I’m so excited that it is St. Louis and San Francisco — two [franchises] who have very rich histories. Thinking about the Bob Gibsons of the world, and in San Francisco, obviously, you have [Willie] McCovey and Willie Mays; Lou Brock on the St. Louis side. Very, very exciting. Proud of Major League Baseball and proud to be doing it with FOX.”

As for standout traditional regular-season games, FOX is the site for the second game of the Los Angeles Dodgers‘ and New York Yankees‘ three-game series on Saturday (7:35 p.m. ET on FOX and the FOX Sports app) in New York.

Rodriguez has high praise for the star players on both teams. “I think the best hitter in baseball is Juan Soto. I think the best combination in baseball is [Aaron] Judge-Soto,” he said. “[It] reminds me of [Roger] Maris and [Mickey] Mantle back in the ’60s, and I think the biggest freak of all of sports is [Shohei] Ohtani.”

Soto and Judge have each been tearing the cover off the ball for the Yankees this season; Soto has totaled 17 home runs and 53 RBIs, while boasting a .319/.422/.605 slash line, while Judge has totaled 21 home runs and 54 RBIs, while boasting a .293/.423/.667 slash line. The Yankees are tied with the Philadelphia Phillies for the best record in baseball (44-19).

Meanwhile, Ohtani is raking in his first season with the Dodgers, as he has totaled 15 home runs, 40 RBIs and 14 stolen bases, while boasting a .322/.390/.598 slash line. Ohtani isn’t expected to pitch this season due to a torn UCL that he suffered in his pitching elbow in 2023.

Kevin Harvick tells Alex Rodriguez about time he was set up by the Yankees

As for Rodriguez, the former shortstop-turned-third baseman was a three-time MLB MVP, two-time Gold Glover, 10-time Silver Slugger and 14-time All-Star who won the 2009 World Series with the Yankees. He also led the sport in home runs in five seasons, while totaling 200-plus hits and 50-plus home runs in three seasons.

Rodriguez spent the first seven seasons of his MLB career with the Seattle Mariners (1994-2000), playing with Hall of Famers Ken Griffey Jr. and Edgar Martinez, as well as Jay Buhner. He then spent three seasons with the Texas Rangers (2001-03), playing with notably Ivan Rodriguez and Rafael Palmeiro before being traded to the Yankees, where he played the final 12 seasons of his career (2004-13, suspended in 2014, 2015-16).

With New York, Rodriguez was teammates over the years with the likes of Hall of Famer and fellow FOX MLB studio analyst Derek Jeter, Robinson Cano, Bernie Williams and CC Sabathia, among many others.

Who were the best leaders that Rodriguez played with?

“I would say in my days in Seattle, I would have to go with Edgar Martinez,” he said. “My days in Texas, I would have to go with Michael Young. And then my time in New York, I would say kind of a split between Mariano Rivera and Andy Pettitte.

“They were the ultimate winners. Both of them have five titles each. They gave you tough love, but they were always supportive; they were always there, and you felt like these are guys that you want to have in a foxhole with you.”

[Want great stories delivered right to your inbox? Create or log in to your FOX Sports account, follow leagues, teams and players to receive a personalized newsletter daily.]

FOLLOW Follow your favorites to personalize your FOX Sports experience