The way he is swinging the bat, Alex Rodriguez knew the milestone home run was coming. It’s just that nobody knew it would be accompanied by a curtain call, perhaps least of all him.
So while A-Rod’s passing Willie Mays on the all-time home run list will always need an asterisk for historical perspective, at least the moment at the Stadium on Thursday night felt real.
The way the fans roared for the curtain call, you’d have thought Derek Jeter had hit home run No. 661. OK, well, that may be a stretch, but you get the idea.