"Alex Rodriguez sat out Wednesday night's regular-season finale against the Rays, but make no mistake, the third baseman is intent on being in the lineup Friday night for Game 1 of the ALDS.

A-Rod was scratched from Wednesday night's game with a sore right knee - the same one that was operated on in July - roughly a half-hour before first pitch.

"I was going to go out and take one or two at-bats, but we felt it was probably smarter to stay off the turf for one night," A-Rod said. "Turf is always an issue when you play multiple days back-to-back. There was just a little soreness, but it's all the turf. Since surgery, I haven't felt any pain or discomfort.""