"There was a bitterness when I was in my teens" - When Alex Rodriguez made brutally honest admission about relationship with estranged father Victor

When Alex Rodriguez was young, his father, Victor, introduced him to baseball. Victor played in the Dominican Republic but left A-Rod and his mother when the slugger was nine years old.

This shattered their relationship, and it hurt Rodriguez emotionally as he started to age. He had to navigate the world without a father figure during a crucial time of his childhood, but he did have his mother, Lourdes.

That frustration over his father stuck with A-Rod throughout his teenage years and into adulthood. He opened up about the situation in 2004 during an exclusive interview with The New York Post.

"There was bitterness when I was in my middle teens and early 20s, but as a man you realize relationships don't always work out," said Rodriguez.

When he was young, he could not wrap his head around why his father would leave. He did not know why his mother and father would get a divorce and abandon him.

"As a kid you want everything to be perfect and you don't understand the nature of divorce" said A-Rod.

Fortunately for Rodriguez, he was able to find a father figure growing up. He often speaks highly of Eddie Rodriguez (no relation) who ran the Boys Club in Miami where A-Rod would frequent.

Alex Rodriguez recalls the day he canceled on his father as an adult

New York Yankees - Alex Rodriguez (Photo via IMAGN)

In 1993, Alex Rodriguez heard his name selected by the Seattle Mariners as the No. 1 pick in the amateur draft. It was the day when he saw all of his hard work throughout the years finally paying off.

Later that day, Rodriguez received a phone call. It was from his father, Victor congratulating him on his accomplishment. However, the phone call made no impact on the slugger.

The following year when A-Rod was preparing for a winter baseball game, he saw his father at the stadium. The two made a lunch date for the next day, but Rodriguez did not show.

He was not ready to reconcile with his dad after he walked out on him. But with the help of his now ex-wife, Cynthia, he was able to put his feelings aside and meet up with his dad.

The two reunited on a Father's Day weekend game in 2000 where the Mariners took on the Minnesota Twins. The slugger then went on to hit two home runs and acknowledged his father sitting in the bleachers.