WATCH: Alex Rodriguez Joins Stony Brook Surgeon's Zoom Happy Hour

STONY BROOK, NY — Stony Brook Medicine surgery residents on the front lines of the new coronavirus got a big surprise when former Major League Baseball star and New York Yankee Alex Rodriguez crashed their Zoom happy hour call last Friday. "A-Rod" uplifted the spirits of the Stony Brook University Hospital doctors after receiving a request from Dr. Anish Shah, a surgery resident who was redeployed and assigned to a COVID-19 intensive care unit.

Rodriguez was asked to share words of encouragement with the team of over two dozen Stony Brook Medicine Surgery residents.

"I think you'll have a great opportunity coming out of this very challenging time with this pandemic," Rodriguez said. "I think the ones that are going to win big out of this are the ones who continue to invest into themselves, whether that's through your mind or through your body. The world's going to be different no matter what line of work you're in."

Once the coronavirus passes, the world will be more disciplined, appreciative and grateful, Rodriguez said he believes.

"You’re only going to go as far as your attitude," A-Rod said. "Attitude will determine altitude. I wish everybody luck, and we will be better and stronger when we come out of this. Hang in there."

Video credit: Stony Brook Medicine Department of Surgery

Shah began organizing the weekly Stony Brook Medicine Surgery Zoom Happy Hours in late March after his resident team was redeployed to various units so the hospital could take care of the influx of coronavirus patients. The surgeon residents were not together as much after the outbreak began, so Shah came up with the idea to keep everyone connected. The happy hour has become a well-received tradition, Shah said.

Shah, a lifelong Yankees fan, saw Rodriguez promoting his company, A-Rod Corp, and as part of a promotion, the slugger would hop on Zoom calls. Shah requested that the baseball player join the surgeon residents' happy hour, and he got a text from one of Rodriguez's assistants that he'd login for a few minutes. Shah then told his team he had a big surprise for last Friday's happy hour.

"To get someone of A-Rod’s magnitude; this is someone who so many of us idolize," Shah told Patch. "He was one of our sports heroes. We watched his work and his team go to work. For him to take a few minutes to join us and tell us how much my team’s work means to him and everyone else out there, I couldn’t really ask for a more energizing bolt for our team. It was truly a morale boost and something we’ll remember for a long time."

The main takeaway from Rodriguez's message, Shah said, was the doctors will come away from the coronavirus experience stronger and better off because of it.

"I think there’s a lot of truth to that," Shah said. "There’s a lot that we learned and a lot that we’ll gain from it. There are a lot things we’re going to be able to lean on for the rest of our careers, and really, our lives. This experience that we’ve all had together."

Everyone on the Stony Brook Medicine surgery residents team has been asked to go "well beyond" their comfort zones, Shah said.

"One of the hardest things is that there’s no playbook for this," he said. "This is something that no one anywhere in the state, the country, or the world has ever had to deal with. It truly is a pandemic, because it’s so new and unfamiliar to everyone. I think one of the most inspiring parts about this whole experience for us is seeing everyone across all the different teams go above and beyond and doing whatever it takes to take care of these patients, so that collectively, we can overcome this pandemic and get through this together. I think that’s a lasting take-home message for us."

Rodriguez spent more than half of his 22-season MLB career with the Yankees after time with the Seattle Mariners and Texas Rangers. He blasted 696 home runs in his 2,784 games.