One can’t really put into the words the kind of night Derek Jeter had Tuesday at Target Field during his last MLB All-Star Game. Only one word could even begin to grasp the culmination of the events that took place — perfect.
As one who grew up despising the ‘Evil Empire,’ I can see how some could get sick of hearing about yet another Jeter farewell. But if you’re a baseball fan you have to admit that Tuesday night’s moments surrounding the future Hall-of-Famer were nothing short of magical.
Jeter isn’t putting up All-Star numbers in his final season, but he still got the fan vote to start in the All-Star game — a tribute to honor the greatest shortstop of our time for his contributions to the sport over the last two decades in his final year of baseball. It was fitting he was selected to bat leadoff.
Of course he got a standing ovation. And of course, he slapped a double off Adam Wainwright in his very first at bat.
Jeter went 2-for-2 in the game before Alexei Ramirez came in as a substitute in the fourth inning. What emerged was a standing ovation from the crowd and a hug from nearly every man in the American League dugout followed by a curtain call, all while his family watched profoundly from the stands.
Related: Derek Jeter’s All-Time Greatest Moments
And we haven’t even mentioned that Jeter made a diving defensive stop and came within a mili-second of throwing out Andrew McCutchen to leadoff the game. Although the Pirates outfielder was called safe, the play was a near tie at the bag and it was still one hell of a play from Jeter.
Fun-filled Jeter Facts:
- Oldest player with multiple hits in an All-Star Game: Derek Jeter (40, 2014), Carl Yastrzemski (39, 1979), Babe Ruth (38, 1933)
- With Derek Jeter’s 3rd-inning single, he becomes only the sixth player in baseball history with 10 career singles in the All-Star Game, trailing five Hall-of-Famers.
And just for good measure, here is an archived interview of Jeter from 1993. He talks about how horrible Rookie ball was and how he was homesick in his rookie season. Boy, how much he’s grown.
God, I love baseball.
Here’s a tip of the cap to you, Jeets.
Josh Helmuth is the editor of CraveOnline Sports.
Photo Credit: Getty
