Alex Rodriguez's final game to be broadcast nationally

Fox has announced that Alex Rodriguez’s final game on Friday as a player for the New York Yankees — and maybe as a professional baseball player altogether — will be broadcast to a national audience.

On Sunday, Rodriguez and the Yankees had a press conference, where they revealed plans for the 22-year veteran to play his final game in pinstripes on Friday against the Tampa Bay Rays in Yankee Stadium. To honor Rodriguez, who is fourth all-time with 696 career home runs, Fox’s coverage will kick off at 7 p.m. ET with an on-site pregame show, followed by Kevin Burkhardt, John Smoltz, and Ken Rosenthal calling the game.

After Friday’s game, Rodriguez will be released by the Yankees, who will still be on the hook for his remaining salary this year and next. He will then move to an official capacity with the team as a special advisor and instructor, even though he has stopped short of saying he would rule out playing again for another team.

During his announcement on Sunday, Rodriguez admitted that his career possibly ending this way isn’t ideal. “No athlete ever ends his or her career the way you want to,” he said. “We all want to play forever. But it doesn’t work that way. Accepting the end gracefully is part of being a professional athlete. Saying goodbye may be the hardest part of the job, but that’s what I’m doing today.”