Every friendship formed on the field of baseball is not a home run.

Sports fans will never forget the early 2000s when Alex Rodriguez and Derek Jeter became teammates while playing for the New York Yankees. The dynamic couple helped the New York Yankees reach the post-season. But, behind-the scenes drama occurred that could have devastating consequences for their friendship.

ESPN’s future The CaptainAfter Alex was interviewed in 2001, documentary viewers can see what went wrong. Esquire. Derek said that Derek’s comments about his teammate “bothered” him.

According to The documentary, he stated that “I am very, very loyal.” New York Post. “As a friend I’m loyal. I just looked at it as, ‘I wouldn’t have done it.’ It was then the media. They kept hammering on the nails. It was just hammered in. I was frustrated when it became noisy. It was just constant noise.” 

What was Alex’s exact statement that caused such a commotion? Talking to writer Scott Raab in 2001, Alex said Derek was fortunate to play for an absolutely stacked New York team.