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| Derek Jeter’s 10 most important at-bats illustrate impact on Yankees … and 2014 World Series | Derek Jeter’s 10 most important at-bats illustrate impact on Yankees … and 2014 World Series |
| (1 day later) | |
| Thursday night, Derek Jeter is scheduled to play his final game at Yankee Stadium, the last of 1,391 contests in pinstripes before heading to, of all places, Boston to wrap up his 20-year career against the rival Red Sox in a series that would be, otherwise, meaningless. So we take the time to bring you … another Derek Jeter list? Another Derek Jeter list. Headed into tonight’s game, Jeter has 13,327 plate appearances in the regular and postseasons combined. Here are, in chronological order, the 10 most important. Or at least a version of the 10 most important. | Thursday night, Derek Jeter is scheduled to play his final game at Yankee Stadium, the last of 1,391 contests in pinstripes before heading to, of all places, Boston to wrap up his 20-year career against the rival Red Sox in a series that would be, otherwise, meaningless. So we take the time to bring you … another Derek Jeter list? Another Derek Jeter list. Headed into tonight’s game, Jeter has 13,327 plate appearances in the regular and postseasons combined. Here are, in chronological order, the 10 most important. Or at least a version of the 10 most important. |
| And if this one doesn’t agree with you, there’s surely another Derek Jeter list out there for you. Somewhere. | And if this one doesn’t agree with you, there’s surely another Derek Jeter list out there for you. Somewhere. |
| May 30, 1995 - Hit No. 1 of 3,461 | May 30, 1995 - Hit No. 1 of 3,461 |
| Jeter was a month shy of his 21st birthday when the Yankees called him up, just three years after they selected him out of Central High in Kalamazoo, Mich., with the sixth pick in the 1992 draft (one choice after the Reds took outfielder Chad Mottola from the University of Central Florida). He went 0 for 5 in his first game, but played shortstop and hit ninth the next day in Seattle. Facing Mariners right-hander Tim Belcher, Jeter struck out with runners at the corners in the second inning. But he led off the fifth and jumped on Belcher’s first pitch, drilling it between shortstop Luis Sojo and diving third baseman Mike Blowers into left field. Jeter went on to score on Jim Leyritz’s double, and by the end of the night he had another hit – the second of 3,461 in the regular season. | Jeter was a month shy of his 21st birthday when the Yankees called him up, just three years after they selected him out of Central High in Kalamazoo, Mich., with the sixth pick in the 1992 draft (one choice after the Reds took outfielder Chad Mottola from the University of Central Florida). He went 0 for 5 in his first game, but played shortstop and hit ninth the next day in Seattle. Facing Mariners right-hander Tim Belcher, Jeter struck out with runners at the corners in the second inning. But he led off the fifth and jumped on Belcher’s first pitch, drilling it between shortstop Luis Sojo and diving third baseman Mike Blowers into left field. Jeter went on to score on Jim Leyritz’s double, and by the end of the night he had another hit – the second of 3,461 in the regular season. |
| April 2, 1996 – The first HR starts memorable season for the Yanks | April 2, 1996 – The first HR starts memorable season for the Yanks |
| After playing in just 15 games in 1995, Jeter opened the following season as the Yankees’ starting shortstop, and fans had only a taste of what he would do. Still on the checklist: Hit a home run, which he hadn’t done in 51 plate appearances the summer before. He wasted no time. On Opening Day in Cleveland, Jeter hit ninth in a lineup that featured Hall of Famer Wade Boggs in the leadoff spot and current Yankees manager Joe Girardi hitting eighth. Facing veteran right-hander Dennis Martinez, who was 42 at the time, Jeter struck out in his first at-bat, but then led off the fifth and belted a 2-0 pitch to left field, the first of his 260 career home runs. | After playing in just 15 games in 1995, Jeter opened the following season as the Yankees’ starting shortstop, and fans had only a taste of what he would do. Still on the checklist: Hit a home run, which he hadn’t done in 51 plate appearances the summer before. He wasted no time. On Opening Day in Cleveland, Jeter hit ninth in a lineup that featured Hall of Famer Wade Boggs in the leadoff spot and current Yankees manager Joe Girardi hitting eighth. Facing veteran right-hander Dennis Martinez, who was 42 at the time, Jeter struck out in his first at-bat, but then led off the fifth and belted a 2-0 pitch to left field, the first of his 260 career home runs. |
| Oct. 9, 1996 – A home run from a helping hand | Oct. 9, 1996 – A home run from a helping hand |
| Jeter’s first postseason appearance came at the conclusion of his rookie year, when the Yankees were still searching for their first World Series title since 1978. They beat Texas in the American League Division Series and hosted Game 1 of the ALCS against Baltimore. They entered the bottom of the eighth trailing 4-3, and Jeter faced Orioles reliever Armando Benitez. Swinging at Benitez’s first pitch, Jeter lofted a flyball to right. “And what happens here?” NBC’s Bob Costas said immediately. Though Orioles right fielder Tony Tarasco appeared to settle under the ball, it somehow ended up in the stands. Veteran umpire Richie Garcia signaled that it was a home run, but a livid Tarasco nearly attacked him. Need a reminder of why we have replay review now? Jeffrey Maier, a 12-year-old Yankees fan from New Jersey, reached over the wall with his baseball glove and plucked the ball from the air before it could land in Tarasco’s glove. Benitez charged out to right field to argue and had to be restrained by Orioles Manager Davey Johnson. But the call stood, the game was tied, and when Bernie Williams led off the bottom of the 11th with a homer off Randy Myers, the Yankees had a 5-4 victory that helped them beat the Orioles in five games. | |
| Oct. 13, 1999 – Starting strong against the Sox | Oct. 13, 1999 – Starting strong against the Sox |
| For all their history and animosity, the Yankees and Red Sox had never faced each other in the postseason until the fall of ’99 (a possibility brought to us by the advent of the wild card). The Yankees, division champs, hosted Game 1 – a crucial moment in any series; according to whowins.com, teams winning the first game of a best-of-seven series go on to win 62.7 percent of the time. But in the seventh, the Yankees and Orlando Hernandez trailed Derek Lowe and the Red Sox, 3-2. Scott Brosius led off the inning with a single, and Chuck Knoblauch bunted him to second. Jeter, who already had a walk and a double in the game, followed with a single to center, the hit that scored Brosius and tied the game – a hit that produced a 20 percent swing in win probability. Bernie Williams ended it with a home run off Rod Beck in the 10th, and the Yankees went on to beat the Red Sox in five games before sweeping the Braves for Jeter’s third World Series title in four years. | For all their history and animosity, the Yankees and Red Sox had never faced each other in the postseason until the fall of ’99 (a possibility brought to us by the advent of the wild card). The Yankees, division champs, hosted Game 1 – a crucial moment in any series; according to whowins.com, teams winning the first game of a best-of-seven series go on to win 62.7 percent of the time. But in the seventh, the Yankees and Orlando Hernandez trailed Derek Lowe and the Red Sox, 3-2. Scott Brosius led off the inning with a single, and Chuck Knoblauch bunted him to second. Jeter, who already had a walk and a double in the game, followed with a single to center, the hit that scored Brosius and tied the game – a hit that produced a 20 percent swing in win probability. Bernie Williams ended it with a home run off Rod Beck in the 10th, and the Yankees went on to beat the Red Sox in five games before sweeping the Braves for Jeter’s third World Series title in four years. |
| Oct. 25, 2000 – A Subway Series swat | Oct. 25, 2000 – A Subway Series swat |
| After the Yankees opened the Subway Series by taking the first two games at home, they crossed town to Queens and gave the Mets hope with a loss in Game 3. That made Game 4 pivotal, the Mets with a chance to build on their momentum, the Yankees a chance to snuff out any hope. Jeter took the snuffing into his own hands. Moved into the leadoff spot in place of Chuck Knoblauch, Jeter faced Mets right-hander Bobby Jones, who made the postseason rotation despite a 5.06 ERA in his 27 starts. Jones threw an inside fastball, and Jeter jumped on it, lining it into Shea Stadium’s left-field seats. He ended up going 2-for-5 with a triple and another run scored in what became a 3-2 Yankees’ victory. They wrapped up the series the next night for their third consecutive title. | After the Yankees opened the Subway Series by taking the first two games at home, they crossed town to Queens and gave the Mets hope with a loss in Game 3. That made Game 4 pivotal, the Mets with a chance to build on their momentum, the Yankees a chance to snuff out any hope. Jeter took the snuffing into his own hands. Moved into the leadoff spot in place of Chuck Knoblauch, Jeter faced Mets right-hander Bobby Jones, who made the postseason rotation despite a 5.06 ERA in his 27 starts. Jones threw an inside fastball, and Jeter jumped on it, lining it into Shea Stadium’s left-field seats. He ended up going 2-for-5 with a triple and another run scored in what became a 3-2 Yankees’ victory. They wrapped up the series the next night for their third consecutive title. |
| Oct. 31/Nov. 1, 2001 – ‘Mr. November’ | Oct. 31/Nov. 1, 2001 – ‘Mr. November’ |
| New York was still a badly battered place in a World Series pushed back by the Sept. 11 terrorist attacks, and Game 4 between the Yankees and Diamondbacks played out in front of an emotional Yankee Stadium crowd. But Curt Schilling held the Yankees to one run on three hits in his seven innings, and only Tino Martinez’s two-out, two-run, bottom-of-the-ninth homer off reliever Byung-Hyun Kim kept New York alive. With two outs in the 10th, and the clock having just moved past midnight to turn October into November, Jeter stepped in to face Kim again. He worked the count full, and when Kim came with an inside fastball, Jeter sent it on a line to right, where it snuck over the fence and gave the Yankees a win that tied the series. Sure, the Yankees lost in seven riveting games. But that night, Jeter turned into “Mr. November.” | |
| Oct. 17, 2004 – An opportunity missed | Oct. 17, 2004 – An opportunity missed |
| Game 4 of the American League Championship Series in Boston could be one of the most dissected games in the history of the sport — Dave Roberts’s pinch-run stolen base, Bill Mueller’s game-tying single off Mariano Rivera, David Ortiz’s 12th-inning, walk-off, two-run bomb off Paul Quantrill to give the Red Sox their first victory of the series, spurring an unprecedented comeback from a three-games-to-none deficit. But Jeter could have made all that moot. In the top of the sixth, the Yankees had already scored a pair of runs to take a 4-3 lead – driving Boston starter Derek Lowe out of the game, then scoring the go-ahead run on Tony Clark’s single off Mike Timlin. With two outs and the bases loaded, Jeter came to the plate with a chance to extend the lead and, perhaps, finish off a sweep of the Red Sox. But on a 1-2 pitch, Timlin induced a grounder to second that ended the inning. Baseball is a game defined by failure – keep in mind those 7,880 outs in his regular-season career – so no one missed opportunity lost this game or this series for the Yankees. But it’s worth reminding people, as these deserved odes to Jeter roll in, that he didn’t always come through. Much to the delight of long-suffering Red Sox fans. | Game 4 of the American League Championship Series in Boston could be one of the most dissected games in the history of the sport — Dave Roberts’s pinch-run stolen base, Bill Mueller’s game-tying single off Mariano Rivera, David Ortiz’s 12th-inning, walk-off, two-run bomb off Paul Quantrill to give the Red Sox their first victory of the series, spurring an unprecedented comeback from a three-games-to-none deficit. But Jeter could have made all that moot. In the top of the sixth, the Yankees had already scored a pair of runs to take a 4-3 lead – driving Boston starter Derek Lowe out of the game, then scoring the go-ahead run on Tony Clark’s single off Mike Timlin. With two outs and the bases loaded, Jeter came to the plate with a chance to extend the lead and, perhaps, finish off a sweep of the Red Sox. But on a 1-2 pitch, Timlin induced a grounder to second that ended the inning. Baseball is a game defined by failure – keep in mind those 7,880 outs in his regular-season career – so no one missed opportunity lost this game or this series for the Yankees. But it’s worth reminding people, as these deserved odes to Jeter roll in, that he didn’t always come through. Much to the delight of long-suffering Red Sox fans. |
| Sept. 11, 2009 – Taking the lead from a legend | Sept. 11, 2009 – Taking the lead from a legend |
| At 35, Jeter was enjoying one of his finest seasons – hitting .334, scoring 107 runs and ripping 18 homers – for a Yankees’ juggernaut. His place in the franchise’s deep history was already solidified, but in a home game against Baltimore, he took it a step further. Leading off the bottom of the third against right-hander Chris Tillman, Jeter took two balls and then shot an inside fastball the opposite way, down the right-field line, the single that was his 2,722nd hit – one more than Lou Gehrig, a new Yankee record. “It was vintage Derek Jeter – stay inside the ball and hit it the other way,” Girardi said. “He’s been doing it a long time.” To mark the moment, the entire Yankee team spilled out of the dugout to hug their captain at first base. | At 35, Jeter was enjoying one of his finest seasons – hitting .334, scoring 107 runs and ripping 18 homers – for a Yankees’ juggernaut. His place in the franchise’s deep history was already solidified, but in a home game against Baltimore, he took it a step further. Leading off the bottom of the third against right-hander Chris Tillman, Jeter took two balls and then shot an inside fastball the opposite way, down the right-field line, the single that was his 2,722nd hit – one more than Lou Gehrig, a new Yankee record. “It was vintage Derek Jeter – stay inside the ball and hit it the other way,” Girardi said. “He’s been doing it a long time.” To mark the moment, the entire Yankee team spilled out of the dugout to hug their captain at first base. |
| July 9, 2011 – Another milestone, in style | |
| Milestones can take a while to be realized, and though it was all but certain Jeter’s 3,000th hit would come during the 2011 season – when he would become the 28th player in the history of the game to collect that many – guessing was difficult. He woke the morning of July 11 with 2,998 hits, but he faced Tampa Bay’s David Price, an all-star that summer and one of the game’s best pitchers. Would the sun-drenched Yankee Stadium crowd of 48,103 see history? Jeter led off the bottom of the first with a single for No. 2,999, and came up with one out and the bases empty in the bottom of the third. He worked the count full against Price – fouling off a pair of two-strike pitches to extend the at-bat — and then lofted a pitch deep to left, just his third home run of the season. By the time he rounded the bases, Yankee Stadium was delirious, and he embraced teammates at home plate. By the time the day was over, he was 5-for-5 with a double and the home run, a very Derek Jeter way to move into the 3,000 hit club. (Since then, Jeter has passed all but five members – Pete Rose, Ty Cobb, Hank Aaron, Stan Musial and Tris Speaker.) | Milestones can take a while to be realized, and though it was all but certain Jeter’s 3,000th hit would come during the 2011 season – when he would become the 28th player in the history of the game to collect that many – guessing was difficult. He woke the morning of July 11 with 2,998 hits, but he faced Tampa Bay’s David Price, an all-star that summer and one of the game’s best pitchers. Would the sun-drenched Yankee Stadium crowd of 48,103 see history? Jeter led off the bottom of the first with a single for No. 2,999, and came up with one out and the bases empty in the bottom of the third. He worked the count full against Price – fouling off a pair of two-strike pitches to extend the at-bat — and then lofted a pitch deep to left, just his third home run of the season. By the time he rounded the bases, Yankee Stadium was delirious, and he embraced teammates at home plate. By the time the day was over, he was 5-for-5 with a double and the home run, a very Derek Jeter way to move into the 3,000 hit club. (Since then, Jeter has passed all but five members – Pete Rose, Ty Cobb, Hank Aaron, Stan Musial and Tris Speaker.) |
| July 15, 2014 – A lingering impact | July 15, 2014 – A lingering impact |
| Though this will be the first time in Jeter’s career in which he will miss the postseason two years in a row, it’s not a stretch to say he had an impact on how it will be played. Jeter was named to the American League all-star team for the 14th and final time this summer, and the mostly ceremonial game at Minnesota’s Target Field served as something of a lifetime achievement award ceremony for him. When he stepped to the plate to lead off the first, he received the expected standing ovation. St. Louis right-hander Adam Wainwright, the National League’s starter, placed his glove on the mound and stepped back so the fans could pay their respects, to let the moment linger. Then Wainwright stepped to the mound and fired one fastball that Jeter took for a ball. He fired another that Jeter jumped on. “I was gonna give him a couple of pipe shots,” Wainwright later said in a midgame interview. “He deserved it.” Nice sentiment, and one Wainwright later recanted. What happened was nice for those who were there, for Jeter fans everywhere – a double to right field. That double, though, sparked a three-run first inning for the American League, the guts of a 5-3 victory that will give the team that wins the AL pennant home-field advantage in the upcoming World Series. So don’t think Jeter’s influence will be gone after Sunday’s finale. Remember, fans of the Cardinals or Nationals or Dodgers or whoever – your team is opening the World Series on the road in part because of Derek Jeter. | Though this will be the first time in Jeter’s career in which he will miss the postseason two years in a row, it’s not a stretch to say he had an impact on how it will be played. Jeter was named to the American League all-star team for the 14th and final time this summer, and the mostly ceremonial game at Minnesota’s Target Field served as something of a lifetime achievement award ceremony for him. When he stepped to the plate to lead off the first, he received the expected standing ovation. St. Louis right-hander Adam Wainwright, the National League’s starter, placed his glove on the mound and stepped back so the fans could pay their respects, to let the moment linger. Then Wainwright stepped to the mound and fired one fastball that Jeter took for a ball. He fired another that Jeter jumped on. “I was gonna give him a couple of pipe shots,” Wainwright later said in a midgame interview. “He deserved it.” Nice sentiment, and one Wainwright later recanted. What happened was nice for those who were there, for Jeter fans everywhere – a double to right field. That double, though, sparked a three-run first inning for the American League, the guts of a 5-3 victory that will give the team that wins the AL pennant home-field advantage in the upcoming World Series. So don’t think Jeter’s influence will be gone after Sunday’s finale. Remember, fans of the Cardinals or Nationals or Dodgers or whoever – your team is opening the World Series on the road in part because of Derek Jeter. |
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