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Alex Rodriguez

Biography
byname of Alexander Emmanuel Rodriguez
(1975–)

(born July 27, 1975, New York City, N.Y., U.S.)


American professional baseball player, who was
a noted power hitter. In 2007 he became the
youngest player in major league history to hit
500 career home runs.

Rodriguez and his family moved to his father's


native Dominican Republic when Alex was four,
but they later relocated to Miami, Fla. There he became an excellent
ballplayer at Westminster Christian High School, and in 1993 the Seattle
Mariners selected Rodriguez as the first overall pick in the Major League
Baseball draft. He made his debut with the Mariners at age 18, playing
shortstop. Rodriguez's first successful season came in 1996, when he
accumulated a league-best .358 batting average with 36 home runs and 123
runs batted in. Over the next six seasons with the team, he continued to
produce outstanding offensive statistics, most notably in 1998, when he
became the third player in league history to hit 40 home runs and steal 40
bases in the same season. Before the 2001 season, when Rodriguez was a
free agent, the Texas Rangers signed him to a 10-year $252 million contract,
the richest contract ever given to an athlete at the time.With the Rangers,
Rodriguez continued to have great offensive seasons. “A-Rod,” as he was
often called, won Most Valuable Player (MVP) honours in 2003 with a .298
batting average, 47 home runs, and 118 runs batted in. After that season, he
was traded to the New York Yankees. In 2005 he posted a .321 batting
average, with 48 home runs and 130 runs batted in, to win his second MVP
title. At Yankee Stadium on Aug. 4, 2007, at age 32, Rodriguez hit his 500th
career home run, becoming the youngest player to accomplish that feat. The
2007 season was Rodriguez's best yet—he had a .314 batting average, with
56 home runs and 154 runs batted in—and he was named MVP for the third
time. In addition to his MVP and other awards (such as the Silver Slugger and
the Gold Gloves), Rodriguez was also a fixture at All-Star Games.

Copyright © 1994-2008 Encyclopædia Britannica, Inc.

Fun Facts
* Upon signing with Mariners, Alex visited Ken Griffey Jr. in Seattle. The two
had dinner, played video games and shared stories about being the top pick
in the draft.
* When Alex made his debut in 1994, he was the youngest player in the
majors since Jose Rijo in 1984. At 18, he became the youngest shortstop
since Robin Yount in 1974.
* In 1995, Alex became the youngest shortstop ever to play in a post-
season game.
* Alex’s .358 average in 1996 was the highest for an AL righty since Joe
DiMaggio hit .381 in 1939. It also was the highest batting average ever for a
player who began a season younger than age 21. The previous mark
belonged to Ty Cobb, who hit .350 in 1907.
* In 1996, Alex became the first AL shortstop to win a batting title since
Lou Boudreau, in 1944. He was the first #9 hitter to do so. Bill Mueller of the
Boston Red Sox matched the feat in 2003.
* Alex hit his 100th career home run in August of 1998. Only three players
in history reached the century mark at a younger age: Mel Ott, Tony
Conigliaro, and Eddie Mathews.
* Alex tied Jim Thome for the big-league lead with 47 homers in 2003. In
turn, he became the first player to top the majors in HRs in consecutive
seasons since Mark McGwire in 1998-99. His streak of 40+ homers in six
straight seasons matched Sammy Sosa (1998-2003) for second-longest in
baseball history behind Babe Ruth (seven, 1926-32).
* In 2005, Alex hit 26 home runs in Yankee Stadium. This broke the record
of 25 for righthanders shared by Joe DiMaggio and Gary Sheffield. That year,
Alex also became the youngest player to hit 400 home runs.
* Alex hit three home runs off of Bartolo Colon in a 2005 game. His 10 RBIs
on the day were the second most in AL history behind Tony Lazzeri.
* In July of 2006, Alex rapped out his 2,000th hit. It was also his 450th
home run.
* In 2007, Alex joined Vern Stephens and Cy Williams as the only major
leaguers to have three career walk-off grand slams.
* Alex hit two homers in 2007 as a DH. His 52 as a third baseman
established a new mark for that position.
* In 1998, Alex made People’s 50 Most Beautiful People list.
* Alex was a big baseball card collector as a kid. At one point, he had more
than 200,000 cards in his possession.
* The University of Miami renamed its baseball stadium in honor of Alex. He
has donated some $3 million to Mark Light Field at Alex Rodriguez Park.
* When Alex married his former wife Cynthia, they were eager to avoid a
media crush. The couple held a small ceremony in Dallas and made sure it
was one of the city’s best-kept secrets.
* In November of 2004, Alex and Cynthia had their first child, Natasha.
* Among Alex’s favorites are: golf and basketball (sports to play and
watch), Batman and Robin (cartoon characters), “My Way” by Frank Sinatra
(song), Eddie Murphy and Michael Douglas (actor), Leonardo da Vinci
(historic figure), The Rolling Stones (band), Of Mice and Men (book), Cocoa
Puffs (cereal), Camden Yards (ballpark) and Armani (suit style).
* In April of 2005, Alex was credited with saving the life of 8-year-old
Patrick McCarthy when he pulled the youngster out of the way of a speeding
truck in Boston.
* In May of 2005, Alex and Cynthia donated $200,000 to a children's
mental health center in Washington Heights.
* Alex has an older half-brother, Victor Rodriguez, who is an officer in the
US Air Force.

Quotes by Alex Rodriguez:

“Anyone can forget about talent, but if you're also a good person, your name
will be remembered for a long time.”

“Enjoy your sweat because hard work doesn't guarantee success, but
without it, you don't have a chance.”

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