NEW YORK, NY – AUGUST 07: Alex Rodriguez speaks during a news conference on August 7, 2016 at Yankee Stadium in the Bronx borough of New York City. Rodriguez announced that he will play his final major league game on Friday, August 12 and then assume a position with the Yankees as a special advisor and instructor. (Photo by Jim McIsaac/Getty Images)

Fox has announced that it will air Alex Rodriguez’s final game as a Yankee and MLB player on Friday. It will air live opposite the Olympics on NBC.

It will pit the Tampa Bay Rays and the Yankees. Calling the game will be Kevin Burkhardt, John Smoltz and Ken Rosenthal. It marks the first time that Fox will air a regular season primetime game on a Friday night since April 16, 2004 when it aired the New York Yankees-Boston Red Sox with the 2003 ALCS as a backdrop.

Fox will also have its studio crew of Chris Myers, Frank Thomas, Tom Verducci and CJ Nitkowski on-site at Yankee Stadium.

Fox has been televising Saturday MLB primetime games for several seasons now, but it usually doesn’t venture into weeknights. Fox also aired the Mark McGwire 62nd home run game in primetime back in 1998 so this will mark the third time that the network will have aired a weeknight regular season MLB game.

With this being a special circumstance for Fox and also looking to hire A-Rod as a broadcaster once his playing career is over, it makes sense for the network to pick this game up.

However, not all of the Fox network will be airing A-Rod’s last game as some stations will broadcast local NFL preseason contests.

Fox will also make the game available online through its Fox Sports Go app.

[Fox Sports]

About Ken Fang

Ken has been covering the sports media in earnest at his own site, Fang's Bites since May 2007 and at Awful Announcing since March 2013.

He provides a unique perspective having been an award-winning radio news reporter in Providence and having worked in local television.

Fang celebrates the four Boston Red Sox World Championships in the 21st Century, but continues to be a long-suffering Cleveland Browns fan.