Alex Rodriguez belted the 660th home run of his career on Friday night, and it was a big one. In addition to tying Willie Mays for fourth place on MLB’s all-time home run list, A-Rod gave the New York Yankees a 3-2 lead in the eighth inning of an eventual victory over the Boston Red Sox.
Rodriguez, who was called upon as a pinch-hitter, was overcome with emotion during a postgame interview with ESPN’s Pedro Gomez.
“I’m just thinking of my daughters and my mom and all the people who have supported me,” A-Rod said while fighting back tears. “I’m very grateful.”
A-Rod said he became emotional thinking about his history at Fenway Park. It was in Boston that he recorded his first major league hit in 1994.
“It started here about 21 years ago,” he told Gomez. “Just the reaction of my teammates, the fans — all the respect I have for baseball. I’m just very happy.
“There’s definitely a lot of emotion going on right now. Willie Mays was my father’s hero. He’s one of my heroes.”
You can watch the interview below:
Considering he has admitted to cheating multiple times, most people have a hard time believing A-Rod has a lot of respect for the game of baseball. A recent full-page ad that was published in the NY Daily News is a good indication of how most fans feel about Rodriguez moving up the all-time home run list.
