When Alex Rodriguez yearned for his father Victor despite his single mother's sacrifices

When Alex Rodriguez was selected by the Seattle Mariners with their first overall pick in the 1993 MLB Entry Draft, A-Rod's mother, Lourdes, knew that her sacrifices had paid off.

Born to Dominican immigrant parents in New York City in 1975, early life was not easy for the future star. He spent his early years back and forth between the USA and his parent's homeland.

After the family settled in Florida, Alex Rodriguez' father, Victor, abandoned the family. Without paternal support, Lourdes had to work as a secretary as well as a night-shift waitress to raise A-Rod and her two children from a previous marriage.

"Alex Rodriguez. Drafted by the Seattle Mariners in the 1st round (1st) of the 1993 MLB June Amateur Draft from Westminster Christian School" - Scouting Baseball

During his time at Westminster Christian School in the Miami suburb of Palmetto Bay, Rodriguez began to show great promise as a varsity quarterback and shortstop. Soon, every bit of extra money that Lourdes could find went towards furthering her son's athletic ambitions.

Although her sacrifices led to A-Rod being drafted as a 17-year old by the Seattle Mariners, he always longed for his estranged father's support. In her 2009 book, The Many Lives of A-Rod, author Selena Roberts asked the star to explore the relationship between him and his father. According to A-Rod, gaining his father's approval was always the top priority, claiming: “I thirsted for dad for so long".

After his 2001 trade to the Texas Rangers, A-Rod led the league in home runs for every season between 2001 and 2003, winning the AL MVP Award in the latter campaign.

"Aug. 16, 2002: Alex Rodriguez goes 4-for-4, drives in three and hits a walk-off home run as the Rangers beat the Blue Jays, 6-5." - DFWSportsPast

Although revelations of PED use would come back to haunt him, Rodriguez will always be regarded as one of the most momentous, and well-known players in the game. To this day, Lourdes Rodriguez has a lot to be proud of.

Alex Rodriguez father may have played a bigger role than we think

Between 1985 and Victor's death, Rodriguez only saw his father once. The meeting was organized by A-Rod's ex-wife Cynthia Scurtis, and took place at a Minneapolis hotel room in 2000. Two decades later, A-Rod purchased a minority ownership stake in the NBA's Minnesota Timberwolves.

When asked why he chose to invest in this particular franchise, Alex Rodriguez repsonded that it was his own way of remembering his father, who never seemed to be much of a father at all.