Joe Girardi was weeping, his voice cracking.

After weeks of benching Alex Rodriguez for what Girardi thought was the good of the team, the New York manager was able to insert A-Rod at third base for the start of his final inning with the Yankees.

Modern major league managers strive to maintain inscrutable expressions, breaking character primarily for tantrums aimed at umpires. But after Friday night’s finale, tears streamed from Girardi’s eyes.

“Some people think that I wanted to make negative decisions, but that’s not the case. I have a huge heart,” Girardi said.

“If this is the last time he plays,” Girardi continued softly, pausing for 10 seconds and sniffling as his eyes teared and he nearly sobbed, “I wanted it to be something he never forgot.”

Derek Jeter referred to Joe Torre, his manager from 1996-2007, as Mr. T.

Girardi, who replaced Torre, wasn’t called Mr. G by Rodriguez, but the two seemed tied as never before as A-Rod’s time in pinstripes shriveled toward extinction.

During the postgame news conferences, Girardi was more broken up than Rodriguez. He repeatedly had to stop speaking to gather his emotions.

“I know how much he loves this game and I know how much he loves working,” Girardi said. “He’s a workaholic, maybe sometimes to a detriment, where he wears himself out a little bit. But I know how much he loves putting on that uniform. I know how much he loves competing. I know how much he loves to play the game, and that’s probably why this week was so tough for me, because that’s what I want in a player, and me and Alex have been through a lot together, and I have really strong feelings for him.”