All eyes were on #2, “The Captain,” on Sept. 28 as Derek Jeter suited up for his last game in a Yankees uniform. It was perfect weather for baseball and an ideal send-off for Jeter, 40, who announced his retirement before the 2014 season began.
Jeter is the last of the “core four” (Andy Pettitte, Mariano Rivera and Jorge Posada being the other three) to leave the Yankees. His career is rich with accolades of all sorts, the first coming in 1996 when he received the Rookie of Year Award and played a crucial role in leading the Yankees to their first World Series championship since 1978. He would lead them to four more, including a stretch of three in a row in 1998, 1999 and 2000.
When writing about an athlete such as Jeter, one could go on and on about his accomplishments and the excitement he brought to both Yankees fans and baseball fans alike. But as Jeter closes the chapter of his playing career with the better part of 20 seasons behind him, it seems as if an entire chapter in baseball’s history is coming to a close.
For all his celebrity and all-star persona, he is – at the end of the day – a team player. Based on interviews from a variety of different teammates, one gets the sense that Jeter is a role model. But what seems equally as impressive is the context in which one must discuss his career.
Jeter played in the “steroid era” where teammates and rivals alike were shooting up in an effort to boost their on-the-field performance. Jeter never talked at length about baseball’s steroid problem, aside from saying he stayed clean, which he managed to do even with the added pressure of playing in New York.
Jeter’s life and career has been the perfect story. He grew up in New Jersey as a Yankees fan. His grandmother introduced him to baseball and his favorite player was Dave Winfield, another former Yankee. As a young child, he started telling family, friends and relatives that he was going to grow up and play for the Yankees.
As we know now, it all turned out to be true.
Throughout his career he was a gentleman, always taking the opportunity to shed light on another player who was doing well. I was born in New York City and raised to be a die-hard baseball fan. I was also raised to hate the Yankees in part because my father is from Minnesota. But even as I pledged my allegiance to the Twins, I was always a Jeter fan.
I remember going with my family to the 2008 All Star Game at Yankee Stadium. Aside from the thrills of the game (it went 15 innings and was the longest in MLB All Star Game history), I remember hearing about how Alex Rodriguez and Manny Ramirez left the ballpark together at 10 p.m. Not Jeter. He stayed all 15 innings. He didn’t have to. Red Sox manager Terry Francona took him out well before the game was finished, but he stayed.
Indeed, Jeter was a thrill to watch to the very end, with the last game of his career being no exception. With more Yankees fans than Red Sox fans in attendance, the atmosphere was vibrant. By the start of the game, there were no empty seats and everyone at Fenway Park seemed to forget about the standings.
And yet, despite all of this, it was still a baseball experience. This final game of the regular season was the only time I experienced an abundance of respect for an opposing player. When Jeter came to the plate in the first and third inning (he only had two plate appearances), there was a hush of silence that dispersed throughout the park. It didn’t matter if you were a Red Sox fan, a Yankees fan or just a baseball fan. All 37,071 fans came together as if it was part of an unofficial social contract, and paid their respects.
Jeter’s final career at-bat ended up being an RBI infield single in the third inning. After he reached first base, Jeter took himself out of the game and walked to the pitcher’s mound to shake the hand of Red Sox pitcher Clay Buchholz.
Over the course of his illustrious 20-year career, Jeter played in 2,747 games, had 11,195 at-bats and scored 1,923 runs. He racked up 3,465 hits, more than any other shortstop in baseball. With a lifetime batting average of .310, it’s hard not to consider him the greatest shortstop since World War II.
In terms of Yankee history, he is the leader in hits, doubles, games played, stolen bases, plate appearances, at-bats and total bases. As a five time World Series champion and a 14-time All-Star selection, it is clear that Jeter’s departure signals the end of an era.
Aside from acting as the designated hitter, Jeter never played a position other than shortstop. He was never ejected from a game and rarely showed anger. He played for one team his entire career, something that is now rare in any sport.
As a New Yorker, I grew up watching Jeter. I remember catching the No. 4 express train and getting off at 161st: Yankee Stadium. Even though I hated the Yankees growing up, he was their mainstay for years.
A great amount of uncertainty lies ahead for the Yankees as they come to terms with a team without Jeter. Hopefully Jeter’s approach to the game has rubbed off on his fellow teammates. Say what you want about the Yankees as an organization, but at the end of the day, they have a history of putting excellent players on the field.
As a die-hard baseball fan, I salute him and thank him for all he’s done for the game. Baseball has produced a lot of great shortstops, but at the end of the day, there is only one Derek Jeter.
Isaac Simon can be reached at [email protected].
