Moved back with his parents to their native Dominican Republic when Rodríguez was 4, then moved to Miami, Florida 4 years later. There, Alex's father announced he had to go to New York for a short time; he never returned. Rodríguez has said in interviews he can forgive him for abandoning the family, but that he will never forget. Married longtime girlfriend Cynthia Scurtis in a small ceremony in Dallas, followed by a reception at his 7,500-square-foot mansion. Among the guests were Cal Ripken, Rodríguez's boyhood idol. (2 November 2002). Was a high school baseball teammate of Doug Mientkiewicz. Became the youngest (27 years, 249 days) player to hit 300 home runs, breaking the record set by Hall of Famer Jimmie Foxx (27 years, 328 days) [2 April 2003]. Texas Rangers All-Time Slugging Percentage Leader (.615). Traded by the Texas Rangers to the New York Yankees for Alfonso Soriano and a player to be named later. Prior to the trade, he agreed to switch positions from shortstop to third base. [February 2004] Announced he and his wife Cynthia are expecting their first child. The couple - who dated on and off for 6 years before they got married - is featured in the May 2004 Vogue and in Sports Illustrated's 2004 swimsuit issue (1 June 2004) Made major league debut on 8 July 1994. Went 0-for-4 in Game Seven of the 2004 ALCS, in which the Boston Red Sox became the first time ever to win a pennant after being down 3 games-to-none. Given his enormous salary and perks, and the highly publicized trade that brought him to the New York Yankees (with a $184 million players payroll in 2004, the highest in all of sports) in the offseason, he has been roundly criticized in the Big Apple for his poor performance. Welcomed first child, baby girl Natasha Alexander, in Miami. Weighing in at 7 pounds, 4 ounces, and 19 inches long, she was born a week before her due date (18 November 2004) In 2005, became the youngest player in Major League History to reach 400 career home runs, at the age of 29, and the only player ever to reach the milestone before turning 30. Many believe he is on-pace to surpass Hank Aaron on the all-time home run list. In 1999, he was named one of People magazine's 50 Most Beautiful People.