Alex Rodriguez on 660th HR: 'I got emotional there'
BOSTON -- New York Yankees slugger Alex Rodriguez, who a year ago at this time didn't know whether he would ever play baseball again, found himself sobbing Friday night, trying to grasp the moment, recognizing what he accomplished.
Rodriguez, always with a flair for the dramatic, hit his 660th home run at Fenway Park in the Yankees' 3-2 victory over the Boston Red Sox, tying Willie Mays for fourth-place on the all-time home run list, and 54 homers away from Babe Ruth.
"I was thinking about when I was 18 years old, and I got my first hit here,'' Rodriguez said. "My parents were in the stands. I was so excited to play with Ken Griffey Jr. and Edgar Martinez. A week later I faced Roger Clemens.
"A lot of emotions going into it, I'm glad it happened in such a special place.''
Rodriguez, who played his first career game at Fenway Park in 1994 with the Seattle Mariners, walked to the plate as a pinch-hitter in the eighth inning of the 2-2 game, with the crowd of 35,444, viciously booing him.
MLB SALARIES: Baseball's top 25 highest-paid players in 2024
"I usually don't hear the difference,'' Rodriguez said, "but that boo was pretty intense. It was pretty passionate.''
It all changed with one swing of the bat. Getting the green light to swing on a 3-and-0 pitch from reliever Junichi Tazawa, he sent a screaming line drive over the Green Monster into the seats above the 37-foot high wall.
Rodriguez took a peak, and then ran the bases showing no outward emotion, no fist pumps, simply rounding the bases as if it was a spring-training game.
"I don't know what it means,'' Rodriguez said. "I was just very excited, trying to stay in the moment.
"I got emotional there.''
There were no congratulatory messages on the scoreboard. No announcement on the public-address system.
Just silence.
When Rodriguez reached the dugout, his teammates were all standing by the railing, hugging him and shaking his hand, led by Yankees manager Joe Girardi.
"He did it very classy,'' Yankees teammate Chris Young said. "You knew it had to be a release for him. He's been going through so much.''
It was the first pinch-hit home run of Rodriguez's career, and only the third time he ever homered on a 3-0 count, as he's never been prone to swing on that count.
"I looked at the coach, (Joe Espada), he gave me the green light,'' Rodriguez said. "I looked at the manger (Joe Girardi). And then I literally looked to see who was hitting behind me, and it was (Stephen) Drew (who's hitting .167).
"And I just figured that 3-0 was going to be the best pitch I got.
"So I took a whack at it.''
The ball soared into the stands like a meteor, instantly bringing back memories for Yankee hitting coach Jeff Pentland, who witnessed Mark McGwire's record-setting 62nd home run in 1998 that eclipsed Roger Maris' single-season record.
"It was gone so fast,'' Pentland said, "it reminded me of the one McGwire hit. That's the first thing I thought of.''
The ball wound up in the hands of a Red Sox fan named Mike Shuster, who was adamant that he would never give up the ball to Rodriguez, despite the efforts of a Yankees security guard.
"I haven't been good at negotiating,'' Rodriguez said, "so maybe I'll just quit on that.''
It was Rodriguez's subtle jab at the Yankees, unable to convince them to give him the $6 million bonus entitled to him, either.
The Yankees, who put a clause in Rodriguez's $275 million contract in 2007 that would pay him $6 million for each milestone homer, starting with No. 660, with Babe Ruth's 714 next, say they won't pay it. It can't be a milestone, they argue, since it can't be marketed.
And it can't be marketed, the Yankee say, because it's tainted, with Rodriguez suspended all of last season for using performance-enhancing drugs in the Biogenesis scandal.
It's a fight for another day, Rodriguez says, refusing to let the bonus controversy blemish his feat.
Instead, after being led by three security guards to the interview room, he talked about his emotions, the champagne and beer shower when he entered the clubhouse, the text messages from his family, friends and former teammates, and joy that Mays sent out a congratulatory greeting.
"Congratulations to Alex Rodriguez on his 660th home run,'' Mays said in a statement released by the San Francisco Giants. "Milestones in baseball are meant to be broken.''
Oops, there's that words again.
Leave it to Mays to provide a little fodder in Rodriguez's fight for money.
"I love Willie, he's one of my heroes, and he was my father's favorite player,'' Rodriguez said. "In the time that he did it, there's absolutely no comparison of me or anyone else to Willie Mays. All of us who love baseball, we love Willie.
"Not only is Willie a baseball legend, but he's also an American icon.''
Yet, with Rodriguez's year-long suspension because of performance-enhancing drug use, he understands that he likely will never be viewed in the same light as Mays.
"The only thing I can control is what I do from here on out, and how I conduct myself both on and off the field,'' Rodriguez said. "I can't really decide for other people what to think.
"You know I have regrets, and I'm trying to do the best to finish my career on a high note.''
Rodriguez, 39, divorced with two daughters, says he couldn't help but think of them this night, wondering if they stayed awake, knowing what their father had just accomplished.
"There were a lot of emotions,'' Rodriguez said. "I though about my children, my girls. My mom. All of the folks who stayed with me through the last few years.
"One of the reasons I broke down a little bit was that as a kid, all I thought about was playing in the major leagues, and really not knowing if I could ever make it. I thought about the Boys and Girls club where I learned how to play baseball. There were a lot of things.
"It's been quite a ride.''
One with so many twists and turns, ups and downs, that Rodriguez seriously contemplated retired last year.
"A year ago, I never would have dreamt about this incredible moment,'' Rodriguez said. "I was in a cave in Miami, serving my time. To be here today, with you guys, the fans, my teammates.
"I'm very thankful to the Yankees and to Major League Baseball for allowing me to play this game.
"I'm in a good place right now.''
Yes, a historic place.
"Any time you're sandwiched between Willie Mays and Babe Ruth,'' Rodriguez said, "is pretty special. This whole thing has been like a dream.''
Follow Nightengale on Twitter: @Bnightengale
GALLERY: A-ROD'S ROAD BACK
