"I was a little embarrassed... It was awkward" - When Alex Rodriguez was in disbelief after getting curtain call with Yankees

During the 2015 season, New York Yankees great Alex Rodriguez's career was starting to wind down. He was entering his 21st season in the big leagues, but he still had some fire left.

A-Rod entered the season with some achievements within reach. He was just a few home runs away from passing legendary slugger Willie Mays on the all-time home run list.

Rodriguez would surpass Mays on May 7, 2015, in a game against the Baltimore Orioles. When he returned to the dugout after the homer, the Bronx faithful called him out for a curtain call, embarrassing him, via the New York Post's Dan Martin.

"It's been a long time. I actually thought the days of curtain calls for me were long gone. I was a little embarrassed. It was a little awkward. I did not want to interrupt the game," said A-Rod.

Rodriguez revealed that the curtain call caught him off guard. He was not expecting one when he surpassed Mays, and he certainly did not want to be the cause of disruption during the game.

"It's obviously a big deal and I know there's a lot of questions surrounding everything, but it's still 661 home runs. That's a lot. It's 650 more than I've got, I think" said Brett Gardner.

A-Rod's teammate, Brett Gardner, did not downplay the moment. Whether shrouded in controversy or not, 661 home runs was more than an impressive accomplishment.

That would be the final curtain call of Yankees legend Alex Rodriguez's career

New York Yankees - Alex Rodriguez (Photo via IMAGN)

Alex Rodriguez passing Willie Mays on the all-time home run list put him fourth. He was just 53 home runs shy of tying Babe Ruth for No. 3 on the list, but that would never come to fruition.

The Yankees slugger would give it his all, finishing with 696 home runs before retiring following the 2016 season. He was just 18 home runs shy of tying the other Bronx Bombers legend.

Another great slugger would then pass A-Rod on the all-time home run leaderboard. Albert Pujols went on to hit 703 home runs before calling it quits following the 2022 season.

Pujols pushed A-Rod down to fifth on the all-time list. This list should not be interrupted anytime soon. Giancarlo Stanton holds the most home runs among active players with 429, so he still has quite a bit of work ahead of him.