Kriti Mehrotra
As a three-part documentary series living up to its title in every way conceivable, HBO Max’s ‘Alex vs. ARod’ chronicles the life and career of baseball icon Alex Rodriguez through his own eyes. It incorporates not only archival audio-video footage but also exclusive interviews with him, his former colleagues, and his loved ones, to shed light on the duality within him. Therefore, there is even a significant focus on his father, Víctor Manuel Rodríguez Marcano — the man who introduced him to the sport before ultimately abandoning the family.
Alex Rodriguez Was Once Closest to His Father
It was on July 27, 1975, that Alexander “Alex” Rodriguez was born in the Washington Heights area of Manhattan, New York, to Lourdes Navarro Melo and Víctor Manuel Rodríguez Marcano. Both his parents actually hail from the Dominican Republic, so he grew up surrounded by the Latin culture even before they decided to move back to their homeland when he was 4 years old. However, it was there that his father introduced him to the world of baseball owing to his own passion for it, unaware that the youngster would become so immersed in it that he would make it his life.
As the years passed, Alex began honing his skills while his parents worked hard to provide for their family, but they were missing the additional opportunities available in the United States. Thus, around the mid-1980s, they chose to return, only to settle down in Miami, Florida, instead of going back to New York because they were worried about the local gang control/violence. By this point, Alex was not only playing baseball but also breathing it since that’s what he and his father talked about every evening — they sat on the couch, watched games, and discussed plays.
It turns out Victor was once a baseball player himself — according to the show, he was a catcher in the Marquana League, but he stopped playing likely “at a level below professional” while still in his homeland. Nevertheless, since his love for the sport had never wavered, he shared it with his son to the best of his abilities without it ever coming across as if he was trying to live vicariously through him. According to Alex’s maternal half-brother Joe Dunand, the young athlete was his father’s pride, and even Alex remembers “talking baseball every day with him” until he was 10.
When Victor Rodriguez Left, His Son Was Deeply Affected
Although Alex and Victor shared countless happy memories over baseball, things were reportedly really hard for the latter in the mid-1980s as he struggled to adjust to Miami. As a result, his wife ended up serving as the primary breadwinner while he tried to find local jobs before allegedly giving up and turning to drinking and horse-betting gambling almost every day. It has been speculated that he believed he would be able to do much better in New York because he had once done so, resulting in his abandoning the family for the Big Apple when Alex was 10 in 1985.
According to Alex’s accounts, he thought Victor was only leaving temporarily, so it wasn’t until he had waited for him to come back every day for a year that he began to give up hope. His father did send small gifts and letters to the family from time to time, yet it wasn’t nearly enough for the then youngster, driving him to shut down and drift away in an emotional sense too. As per Victor himself, “I tried all the time to talk to him. I loved him. He was always with me, I thought. I sent as much home as I could.” But since he never went back, Alex could never forgive him.
The former professional baseball athlete does respect the fact that after he and Victor grew estranged, the latter didn’t contact him after he started making headlines just for the sake of it. Alex appreciated the integrity of his father, who did not jump on any bandwagon or try to take advantage of him in a financial sense, even after he had made it into the Major Leagues. The father and son reconnected in 2000 at the behest of the athlete’s then-partner, Cynthia Scurtis, with them secretly meeting in Minnesota, and Victor attending four of his son’s games. However, they were unable to build a relationship. Although Alex was able to get closure, too much time had passed for him to forgive and forget.
Victor Rodriguez Passed Away in 2014
Alex and Victor were able to part ways after Minnesota on a neutral note, but the former has consistently asserted that the way he handles being a father to his own two daughters is directly influenced by his own experiences. In other words, he tries his best to always be there for his daughters, no matter what, and even shares a close co-parenting relationship with Cynthia to ensure the same. As for Victor, it’s unclear whether he went on to build another family or not, but we do know he undertook many business ventures before eventually retiring in 1995. He later settled in The Villages, Florida, where he spent his time doing crossword puzzles, reading a wide range of literature, and building connections. Sadly, he passed away on February 11, 2014, at the age of 84.
Read More: Alex Rodriguez’s Net Worth: How Rich is the Baseball Star?
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