Derek Jeter’s Career Filled with Hall of Fame Moments

Tomorrow, former Yankees shortstop Derek Jeter, after a wait of over one and a half years, will be inducted into the National Baseball Hall of Fame and Museum in Cooperstown, New York. Jeter was elected to the Hall’s Class of 2020, along with Larry Walker, Ted Simmons, and former union chief Marvin Miller (who was elected posthumously). The four men were supposed to have their plaques revealed in July 2020 but the ceremony was canceled due to the COVID-19 pandemic.

In January 202o, Jeter got the call to make official what was already a foregone conclusion: he had been elected to receive a plaque in the National Baseball Hall of Fame and Museum in Cooperstown, New York. The only suspense was whether he would join his New York Yankees teammate Mariano Rivera as the second-ever unanimous selection by the BBWAA (Baseball Writers Association of America). As it turned out, there was one voter who did not cast his ballot in favor of Jeter. The longtime shortstop for the Bronx Bombers got 396 votes out of the 397 cast. The 99.7% tally is the second-highest on a percentage basis for any inductee in the history of the Hall.

From the first game of his official rookie year in 1996, Jeter exuded the aura of a Hall of Famer. He played hard, with a flair for the dramatic and with reverential respect for the game. He deferentially called his manager (Joe Torre) “Mr. Torre” or “Mr. T” for years, even long after he became an international superstar and multimillionaire. The son of a bi-racial couple, Jeter had the Hollywood good looks and prominent presence in a major media market that Madison Avenue craved.

Jeter understood baseball history and Yankees history, having grown up a fan of the team. He understood and cared about traditions. In 2008, he asked the Yankees’ longtime public address announcer Bob Sheppard to record his patented introduction: “now batting, the shortstop, number 2, Derek Jeter, number 2.” At Jeter’s request, the recording of Sheppard’s introduction was used every time he came to bat at Yankee Stadium until the end of his career.

(Sheppard, incidentally, was the Yankees PA announcer from 1951 until 2007. He passed away in 2010 at the age of 99).

And, with the good fortune of beginning his career with a team ready to compete for the postseason every year, Jeter could be called “winner” ever since the completion of his rookie campaign. By the end of his 6th MLB season, he could be called “4-time World Series Champion.”

A Superstar Among Stars (and Starlets)

By the time his rookie year was over, Derek Jeter was one of baseball’s biggest stars and, throughout his 20-year career, one who played with hardly any scandals.

Other than a testy late-career contract negotiation, the biggest controversy I remember with Jeter was his decision to skip the 2011 All-Star Game, which was played three days after he collected his 3,000th career hit. Jeter decided he needed some rest and relaxation, which turned out to be a trip to South Beach with girlfriend actress Minka Kelly.

Before he finally got married in July 2016 to Sports Illustrated swimsuit cover model Hannah Davis, Jeter had a litany of ex-girlfriends that would be the envy of any red-blooded man. Just to name a few, Jeter’s “Ladykiller’s Row” included Mariah Carey (his teenage crush), Jessica Alba, Scarlett Johansson, Tyra Banks, Jessica Biel, and Gabrielle Union.

This is a legendary story I heard years after Jeter had dated Lara Dutta (the 2000 Miss Universe). The story may be true or it may be an urban legend. Either way, it fits: a teammate approached the Yankee star in the locker room, telling him that the new “Miss Universe” was interested in him. Jeter’s response: “I’m done with Miss Universes.”

Jeter finally broke the hearts of women across the world when he married the former Hannah Davis in July 2016. The Jeters have two daughters. Jeter played his last game nearly 7 years ago but has remained in the game as a part-owner and CEO of the Miami Marlins. Jeter works with another Yankees legend, Don Mattingly, who is the team’s manager.

Derek Jeter: Hall of Famer

This is not a typical “Cooperstown Cred” piece about making the case for whether a player is worthy of the Hall of Fame or not. Jeter is one of those rare players who weaw an obvious first-ballot inductee into Cooperstown years before his career had ended (you can see a recap of all of the numbers under the next headline).

At the Hall of Fame press conference the day after he got the Hall call, Jeter said that he wanted to show his young daughters the highlights of his career because they never got to see him play. This piece is for them, for the young Yankees fans who may have seen only the end of his career, and for the older Yankees fans who want to enjoy a visual feast of the best of Derek Jeter.

After a mini-biography about Jeter’s years before the Bronx, this piece will provide a chronological recap and visual feast of 42 “Hall of Fame Moments” in Jeter’s 20 years on the diamond. Why 42 moments? Why not 37? or 26? Well, first of all, Jeter has done a lot of great things. I chose the number 42 because of the significance of it being the retired number worn by both Jackie Robinson and Rivera, Jeter’s longtime teammate in the Bronx.

The number 42 also has another significant element to it: Jeter will be the 42nd player to wear the Yankees uniform as a player or manager to be elected to the Hall of Fame as a player. OK, I’ll admit, this is a bit convoluted but let’s go with it. There are now currently 40 ex-Yankee players who have plaques hanging in the Hall of Fame. There’s also Bob Lemon, who managed the team but was elected to the Hall for his years as a player with the Cleveland Indians. Lemon makes 41 Hall of Fame players who wore the pinstripes; Jeter will make 42 when his plaque is unveiled this summer in Cooperstown. Bingo.

With 42 different video clips from YouTube, it might take a while to navigate this piece. If you’re a Yankees fan or Jeter fan, bookmark this page, come back to re-live some of the Captain’s greatest moments from time to time.

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Cooperstown Cred: Derek Jeter (SS)

Elected to the Hall of Fame in January 2020 with 99.7% of the Vote

• New York Yankees (1995-2004)
• Career: .310 BA, .377 OBP, .440 SLG. 260 HR, 1,311 RBI, 358 SB
• 3,465 career Hits (6th most in baseball history)
• 1,923 career Runs Scored (11th most in baseball history)
• Career: 115 OPS+, 71.3 WAR (Wins Above Replacement)
• 14-time All-Star
• 5-time Gold Glove Award winner
• 5-time Silver Slugger
• 1996 A.L. Rookie of the Year, 2000 World Series MVP
• Won 5 World Championships with the New York Yankees
• Most Hits (200), Doubles (32), and Runs (111) in postseason baseball history
• Career postseason: .308 BA, .374 OBP, 20 HR, 61 RBI

(cover photo: New York Times/Barton Silverman)

Derek Jeter: Before the Yankees

Derek Sanderson Jeter was born on June 26, 1974, in Pequannock, New Jersey, 21 miles as the crow flies from Yankee Stadium. His parents (Dorothy Connors Jeter and Sanderson Charles Jeter) met in Germany while they were serving in the Army and moved the family to Kalamazoo, Michigan when Jeter was four years old. Derek and his younger sister Sharlee spent many summers in New Jersey with their paternal grandparents.

Derek’s grandmother (Dot Connors) was a die-hard Yankees fan. It was during those summers in New Jersey that young Derek became a Yankees fan himself, attending many games at Yankee Stadium in the 1980s. His favorite player was future Hall of Famer Dave Winfield.

At Kalamazoo Central High School, Jeter was a star at both baseball and basketball, where a buzzer-beating three-pointer as a sophomore was a cherished high school memory. On the diamond, Jeter hit .557 as a junior and .508 as a senior, helping make him Baseball America’s top-ranked high school player in the nation in 1992. In the fall of his senior year, sporting a 3.82 GPA, Jeter signed with the University of Michigan to play for Bill Freehan, the former star catcher for the Detroit Tigers. Freehan, however, never expected to see Jeter suit up for the Wolverines because of his expected position in the Major League Baseball player draft.

In the 1992 draft, Jeter was widely expected to be picked 5th overall by the Cincinnati Reds but an unexpected selection by the Montreal Expos (picking third) left outfielder Chad Mottola available for the Reds at #5. The New York Yankees then delighted the entire Jeter family by selecting Derek with the 6th overall pick in the draft. Suffice it to say that the five teams picking ahead of the Yankees in the draft regret passing on the young shortstop. The best of those five players was Phil Nevin, who was chosen by the Houston Astros as the #1 overall pick (Nevin is currently the Yankees third base coach). The Expos’ pick, the choice that had the domino effect of Mottola going to the Reds, was a college pitcher (B.J. Wallace) who never made the majors.

Under the rules at the time, the Yankees owned Jeter’s rights for five years, so he could have attended Michigan and still been in the organization years later. The Yankees, however, offered him $800,000 to sign, which was enough to convince Derek to start his professional career right away. Jeter did wind up attending classes at Michigan in the fall of 1992 but would not return after that one semester.

Derek Jeter Joins the Yankees Organization

On the diamond, Derek Jeter started slowly, hitting .210 in 58 games between Tampa and Greensboro in the Rookie League and South Atlantic League. His teammates at Greensboro in ’92 included catcher Jorge Posada and pitcher Andy Pettitte (who is a current candidate for Cooperstown). In 1993, Jeter spent the full season in Greensboro, hitting .295 to help lead the Hornets to the SAL’s postseason. One of his teammates in ’93 was a young right-handed pitcher from Panama named Mariano Rivera. Although Jeter’s hitting was solid, he made a whopping 57 errors defensively (for a .889 fielding%), predicting future defensive metrics that would label him as a poor fielder during his years in the Bronx.

Jeter’s bat allowed him to progress from A to AA to AAA ball during the 1994 season; he hit .344 with a .410 OBP, 43 extra-base hits, 50 stolen bases, and 103 runs scored between Tampa (A), Albany-Colonie (AA), and Columbus (AAA). The other good news is that Jeter’s fielding miscues dropped to 25 errors in 138 games, a still high but not outrageous total for a minor league shortstop. For the full package of his productivity at all three stops, Jeter was named the minor league player of the year.

Derek Jeter’s MLB Debut

In the 1994-95 off-season (while the players were on strike), the Yankees signed veteran Tony Fernandez to be their starting shortstop. So, still only 20 years old, Jeter started the 1995 season back at AAA with the Columbus Clippers. However, an injury to Fernandez in late May gave Jeter the opportunity for his first big league action. He made his Major League Baseball debut on May 29 in Seattle. After going 0 for 5 in his first game, Jeter went 2 for 3 with 2 runs scored in his second. His first MLB hit came off Seattle’s Tim Belcher.

Hall of Fame Moments: #1 (June 3, 1995, v. California)

A few days later, on June 3rd, Derek Jeter got the first of his 3,465 career hits, a RBI double off California’s Shawn Boskie. This is the first of the 42 video clips that you can enjoy in this piece, thanks to the miracle of YouTube.

If you want to re-watch this or any other clip after it’s finished, hit the refresh button on the bottom left of the frame.

All told, Jeter started 13 games (hitting .234 with 6 RBI) in his first cup of coffee in the majors. He was sent back to Columbus on June 12th so that he could continue to play full-time. His last day in the Bronx before his demotion back to AAA was just 15 days before his 21st birthday. In an ironic twist, Jeter was optioned back to Columbus on the same day that the team sent Rivera back as well. The future Hall of Fame closer had made his maiden outing for the Yankees just six days before Jeter’s. Rivera was lit up for a 10.20 ERA in 4 appearances, giving up a first-inning 3-run home run to another future Hall of Famer (Edgar Martinez) in the same game as Jeter’s last in his first tour of duty with the Yankees.

After finishing the AAA season with a .317 average and 38 extra-base hits, Jeter was called back to New York when the rosters expanded in September. He appeared in just two games and was not named to the team’s postseason roster. Still, he was in the dugout as a witness to the classic 5-game series between the Yankees and Mariners. As we now know, Jeter would not know what a baseball-free October was like until 2008.

1996-2001: The Last Yankees Dynasty

Derek Jeter and Mariano Rivera came to the Yankees at the perfect time in the franchise’s history. The 1995 postseason (in which Rivera was a rookie participant and Jeter an observer) represented the team’s first October appearance since 1981. That 14-year drought was the longest Yankees’ fans were forced to endure since before Babe Ruth arrived in 1920. Considering the competitiveness and deep pockets of team owner George Steinbrenner, the combination of a young corps of stars from the farm system, and the Boss’ wallet, the Yankees were ready to roll just in time for Jeter’s rookie campaign.

Besides Jeter and Rivera, the Yankees had Bernie Williams and Andy Pettitte as the original “core four” of homegrown stars or stars to be (with Jorge Posada joining the party in 1997). Don Mattingly’s ailing back prevented him from returning in 1996 but the Yankees replaced him with another lefty slugger, Tino Martinez. Along with a core of veterans (including Paul O’Neill and future Hall of Famers Wade Boggs and Tim Raines), the Yankees were built to return to the postseason.

Derek Jeter’s official rookie year was in 1996. Tony Fernandez was slated to play second base, opening up the starting shortstop job for the highly touted prospect. Still, Steinbrenner wasn’t convinced that the 21-year old was ready for prime time. Jeter struggled during spring training (both offensively and defensively). In the meantime, both Fernandez and backup second baseman Pat Kelly were hurt. This forced designated super-sub Mariano Duncan to become the starting second sacker, leaving no experienced depth behind Jeter in case he failed his first full-time big league test.

A trade with the Seattle Mariners was contemplated, one that would have sent veteran shortstop Felix Fermin to the Yankees in exchange for……..

…..wait for it…..

…..Mariano Rivera.

According to Ken Davidoff of the New York Post, Steinbrenner wanted to do the deal but was talked out of it by the Yankees brain trust, featuring General Manager Bob Watson, assistant GM Brian Cashman, and new manager Joe Torre. From Davidoff’s story, the decision was more about giving Jeter a chance than about what the 26-year old Rivera might accomplish.

Hall of Fame Moments: #2 & #3 (April 2, 1996, at Cleveland)

On Opening Day, April 2nd, the Yankees were in Cleveland to face the defending American League Champion Indians. Derek Jeter was in the lineup, batting 9th against veteran right-hander Dennis Martinez. After striking out with two outs and two runners on base in the top of the 2nd inning, Jeter led off the 5th with a solo home run, the first of his 260 big league bombs.

Later in the game, with two outs and a runner on 2nd base with the Yankees clinging to a 2-0 lead, Jeter chased down a short fly ball in short center field from Omar Vizquel that would have scored a run. Starter (and winning pitcher) David Cone was impressed, calling Jeter’s debut the kind that “gives the whole team a lift and sparks confidence from everyone.”

In the second game of the season, Jeter went 3 for 3 with a walk, stolen base, and 3 runs scored to pace New York to a 5-1 win.

“Winning has been the best thing for me. Especially when you get to this level. That’s what it’s all about. Everybody wants to win. You want to get to the post-season. Last year, I got a chance to see what that was like. I want to get back there… I’ve been waiting for this my whole life. I think I’m ready.”

— Derek Jeter (New York Times, April 7, 1986)

Jeter would not hit his 2nd MLB home run until his 43rd game of the season and only had three long balls in his first 78 games. Still, Jeter went on a tear starting on July 2nd (in a Yankee Stadium victory over Boston in which he went 4 for 4). Including that game, the rookie shortstop hit .354 in his last 80 games, along with 7 taters, 44 RBI, and 65 runs scored.

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Hall of Fame Moments: #4 (Sept. 21, 1996, v. Boston)

Our 4th Derek Jeter highlight was in a game late in September against the Red Sox. The Yankees were close to clinching a playoff berth but not quite there yet. The Yankees were down 6-2 in the 5th inning when Jeter delivered a 2-run double off Boston reliever Pat Mahomes to pull the Yankees within two. (If the name Pat Mahomes sounds familiar, yes, he is the father of the current Kansas City Chiefs quarterback who goes by Patrick).

Anyway, the game wound up going to extra innings with the score tied at 11 apiece. In the bottom of the 10th, the Yankees loaded the bases with two outs for Jeter, who delivered a line-drive single up the middle to win the game in walk-off fashion.

The Yankees wound up winning the A.L. East with 92 victories, 4 more than the Wild Card Baltimore Orioles. In the playoffs for the second of what would be 14 consecutive years, the Bronx Bombers’ first-round matchup was against the A.L. West champion Texas Rangers.

Hall of Fame Moments: #5 (Oct. 2, 1996, ALDS Game 2 v. Texas) 

The Yankees lost Game 1 of the ALDS at home, making Game 2 something of a “must-win.” The teams were tied at 9 in Game 2 and the contest eventually went 12 innings. In the bottom of the 12th, Jeter led off the inning with a single (off future Yankees’ reliever Mike Stanton). Jeter moved up to 2nd on a walk to Tim Raines and then scored the winning run on a throwing error by third baseman Dean Palmer on a bunt attempt by Yankees third baseman Charlie Hayes.

In Game 3, in Texas, the Yankees were trailing 2-1 after 8 innings. Jeter led off the top of the 9th with a single to left field off Darren Oliver, followed by a single by Raines which advanced Jeter to 3rd. Bernie Williams hit a sacrifice fly to right field, scoring Jeter with the tying run. The Yankees would take the lead three batters later on a Mariano Duncan single. They would go on to win the game (and the series in Game 4) to advance to the American League Championship Series.

Hall of Fame Moments: #6 (Oct. 9, 1996, ALCS Game 1 v. Baltimore)

Derek Jeter’s 1st of his 20 career postseason home runs was not his most famous but certainly his most controversial. In the bottom of the 8th inning, with the Yankees trailing 4-3, Jeter hit a game-tying opposite-field home that may or not have barely cleared the wall in right field. The famous (or infamous if you’re an Orioles fan) home run was perhaps aided by a young fan named Jeffrey Maier, who appeared to reach over the wall to interfere with the attempt of right fielder Tony Tarasco to catch the ball.

This is a long clip because it includes the replays and commentary from Bob Costas and Joe Morgan about Jeter’s controversial dinger.

Ultimately, with instant replay still years away from being implemented, the call stood as called. Jeter’s home run helped the game go to extra innings. Bernie Williams ultimately won it with a walk-off home run in the bottom of the 11th. For the game, besides his first playoff tater, Jeter went 4 for 5, the first of his two career 4-hits-or-more postseason efforts.

Hall of Fame Moments: #7 (Oct. 13, 1996, ALCS Game 5 at Baltimore)

By the time the ALCS reached the bottom of the 9th inning in Game 5, Jeter had 10 hits for a .417 BA and 1.042 OPS while the Yankees held a 3-to-1 series lead. With the score 6-4 in favor of New York, future Hall of Famer Cal Ripken Jr. grounded out to Jeter to end the game and send the Bronx Bombers to their first World Series since 1981.

1996 World Series: Braves v. Yankees

In the Fall Classic, the Yankees were matched up against the best team of the early 1990s, the defending World Champion Atlanta Braves. Behind future Hall of Famers John Smoltz and Greg Maddux, the Braves easily took the first two games of the series (at Yankee Stadium). In Atlanta for Game 3, the Yankees were facing another future Cooperstown inductee (Tom Glavine) but David Cone out-pointed Glavine to the tune of a 2-1 lead through 8 innings. In the top of the 8th, Jeter led off with a single and scored on a 2-run home run by Bernie Williams off reliever Greg McMichael. The Yanks would hold on for a 5-2 victory.

The Braves were cruising in Game 4, holding a 6-0 lead after 5 innings. As it would be so often in October, the Yankees’ comeback was sparked by Jeter, who led off the 6th with a bloop single to right field off Denny Neagle. Three batters later, the Yankees had cut the lead to 3 runs, with catcher Jim Leyritz tying it up in the top of the 8th. In the top of the 10th, Jeter again was a part of a game-winning rally. After a two-out walk to Raines, Jeter reached on an infield single, leading eventually to two runs and New York’s 8-6 victory.

After Andy Pettitte out-pitched Smoltz for a 1-0 Game 5 victory, the Yankees returned home with a chance to win the title.

Hall of Fame Moments: #8 (Oct. 26, 1996, World Series Game 6 v. Atlanta)

The Yankees were up against Maddux again in Game 6. With New York up 1-0 in the bottom of the 3rd inning, Jeter stroked a solid single to left-center to score his future manager Joe Girardi and give New York a 2-0 lead.

The Yankees hung on to win 3-2 to clinch their first World Series title since 1978. Jack Curry of the New York Times called Jeter and Bernie Williams the Yankees’ “twin Mr. Octobers.”

A couple of weeks after the emotional victory, Jeter was unanimously named the A.L. Rookie of the Year.

“I’m still dreaming. The way New York has embraced us after the championship, I can’t put it into words… I hope we can do it a few more years… There’s nothing else I’d rather do than win some more.”

— Derek Jeter (New York Times, November 4, 1996)

1997: No Sophomore Slump

Poor Derek Jeter would have to wait two full calendar years before tasting the satisfaction of another World Series victory. In 1997, he did at least get one champagne celebration as the Yankees returned to the playoffs, this time as a 96-win Wild Card entrant.

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Although he wasn’t yet the superb hitter he would soon become, Jeter had a solid 1997 campaign.

At the All-Star break, he was hitting .285 with 4 HR and 37 RBI. Even though he was the ’96 Rookie of the Year and postseason hero, Jeter was only the third-best shortstop in the American League. Seattle’s Alex Rodriguez (2nd in the ’96 A.L. MVP voting) and Boston rookie Nomar Garciaparra (.291 BA, 13 HR, 44 RBI in the first half) had both surpassed him. So, Jeter’s first All-Star appearance would have to wait another year.

Hall of Fame Moments: #9 (Sept. 15, 1997 v. Boston)

The highlight of Jeter’s regular season was another September contest at Yankee Stadium against the Boston Red Sox. In the bottom of the 9th, with a 6-6 tie, two outs, and runners on 1st and 2nd, Jeter won the game with a walk-off RBI single.

Four days later, against the Toronto Blue Jays, Jeter drew a 11th inning bases loaded “walk-off walk” to allow the Yankees to clinch the A.L. Wild Card.

In the ALDS (against the Cleveland Indians), Jeter resumed his Mr. October impression with a solo home run to break a 6-6 tie in the bottom of the 6th inning of Game 1. The Yankees would win that game but, ultimately, the Indians would prevail in 5 Games. For the series, Jeter slashed .333/.417/.667 with another solo HR in the losing effort.

1998: MVP Contender

It was in 1998 that Derek Jeter became a full-fledged star in Major League Baseball. Because of his good looks and presence in the nation’s biggest media market, Jeter was already a superstar and fabulously wealthy from endorsements but he upped his game significantly in 1998. Torre inserted his star shortstop into the #2 hole in the lineup on a full-time basis, allowing him to lead the league in runs scored while also driving in a healthy 84. Defensively, after 22 errors in ’96 and 18 in ’97, Jeter played 149 games with just 9 miscues in ’98.

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With a .316 BA, 10 HR, 43 RBI, and 62 runs in the first half of the season, Jeter made the first of his 14 All-Star appearances. On a team that would finish the season with 114 wins, Jeter was one of five Yankees on the All-Star squad, joining starter David Wells, center fielder Bernie Williams, new third baseman Scott Brosius and veteran right fielder Paul O’Neill.

Hall of Fame Moments: #10 (Aug. 26, 1998, v. Anaheim)

When a team wins 114 games, there are going to be a lot of late-inning victories. In late August, in the second half of a double-header, the Yankees won in their final at bat for the 18th time thanks to Jeter’s walk-off single.

Hall of Fame Moments: #11 (Aug. 27, 1998, v. Anaheim)

On the very next night, the Yankees walked it off again, this time with Jeter scoring the winning run on a walk-off double by Bernie Williams. The back-to-back walk-offs gave the Bronx Bombers a 96-36 record, putting them a mere 17.5 games ahead of the Red Sox in the A.L. East.

At the end of the season, the Yankees’ 114-48 record gave them a 22-game lead in the A.L. East. Expectations, of course, were high for another World Championship in the Bronx.

1998 Postseason

Jeter’s bat was fairly quiet in the first round of the 1998 postseason (the ALDS against the Texas Rangers) but his teammates hit and pitched well enough to earn the team a 3-game sweep.

In the ALCS, the Yankees drew a re-match with the 1997 pennant-winning Cleveland Indians. The Yankees won 3 of the first 5 games against the Tribe, with Jeter’s bat remaining silent. Overall, after hitting .324 during the regular season, Jeter was hitting a lowly .138 (.415 OPS) in the first 8 postseason games of ’98.

In Game 6, Jeter’s bat came alive:

Hall of Fame Moments: #12 & #13 (Oct. 13, 1998, ALCS Game 6 v. Cleveland)

For starters, Jeter reached on an infield single and scored one of the Yankees two runs in the bottom of the 1st inning. The Yankees looked like they were going to run away with it, building a 6-run lead. Future Cooperstown inductee Jim Thome, however, hit a grand slam in the top of the 5th inning to narrow the score to 6-5.

In the bottom of the 6th, with the score still 6-5, Jeter delivered a two-run triple to pad the score to 8-5.

Bernie followed with a RBI single to score Jeter and make the score 9-5.

In the top of the 8th inning, Jeter made a signature defensive play, robbing the Indians’ Travis Fryman of a base hit to lead off the inning.

The Yankees finished off the 9-5 win to advance to their second Fall Classic in three years.

Although he didn’t have any notable offensive moments in the World Series (against the San Diego Padres), Jeter did still hit .353 with a .450 OBP in the Yankees 4-game sweep.

Derek Jeter Moments: #14 (Oct. 21, 1998, World Series Game 4 v. San Diego)

The signature video for Jeter in the 1998 Fall Classic came on this ground ball by Ruben Rivera in which he ranged well to his left and make an off-balance throw to throw out the batter.

With a second World Championship in tow, after the season Jeter was also honored by finishing 3rd in the A.L. MVP voting, behind Juan Gonzalez and Garciaparra. By today’s metrics, his 7.5 WAR was third-best in the league, behind Alex Rodriguez and Roger Clemens, who would join Jeter in the Bronx for the 1999 campaign.

1999: Career-Best Season

After a breakout season offensively in 1998, Deter Jeter upped his game even more in 1999. He established what would last as career bests in BA, OBP, SLG, HR, RBI, Runs, Hits, OPS+ and WAR, all of the categories you see below. His 219 hits (the second time he eclipsed the 200 mark) were the most in all of baseball. His 8.0 WAR was the highest for all position players in the American League.

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Jeter made his second All-Star squad (again as a backup) and finished the season 6th in the MVP vote. Meanwhile, the team won the A.L. East again, this time with a mere 98 victories.

Hall of Fame Moments: #15 (July 23, 1999, v. Cleveland)

For the 4th straight campaign, Derek Jeter’s season was highlighted by a walk-off hit. On a summer night in July, after going 0 for 5 for the first time all year, Jeter came to the plate in the bottom of the 10th inning with 2 outs and the bases loaded with the Yankees trailing by a run. The Yankees shortstop responded by delivering a two-run “single” to deep right-center field to turn defeat into victory.

Hall of Fame Moments: #16 (Sept. 19, 1999, at Cleveland)

In mid-September, Jeter put some icing on his 1999 sundae by hitting his 24th home run of the year.

A week later, he drove in his 100th run of the campaign.

1999 Postseason

For the second year in a row, Joe Torre’s Yankees blitzed through the playoffs en route to the franchise’s 25th World Series title. In the ALDS, another 3-game sweep over the Texas Rangers, Jeter slashed .455/.538/.727.

Jeter’s bat remained hot in the ALCS against the Boston Red Sox, the league’s Wild Card team. In New York’s 4-to-1 Series win, Jeter slashed .350/.409/.550 with a home run and 3 RBI.

Hall of Fame Moments: #17 (Oct. 18, 1999, ALCS Game 5 at Boston)

In Game 5 (the clincher), Jeter set the tone with a two-run home run in the top of the 1st inning. The Yankees went on to win the game and the pennant by a 6-1 score.

Despite the Braves’ troika of future Hall of Fame ace starters and 3rd baseman Chipper Jones (another future Cooperstown inductee), the Yankees swept the World Series with relative ease, thanks in part to Jeter’s continued hot hitting (.353/.389/.412 with 4 runs scored).

Hall of Fame Moments: #18 (Oct. 23, 1999, World Series Game 1 at Atlanta)

In Game 1, Chipper hit a solo home run in the bottom of the 4th inning to give Atlanta an early 1-0 lead. Greg Maddux had tossed 7 innings of scoreless ball, holding that 1-0 lead.

Thanks to a single, walk, and an error, the Yankees loaded the bases against Maddux in the top of the 8th with no outs and Jeter at the plate. The Yankee shortstop came through with a RBI single to tie the score at 1 and chase Maddux to the showers.

Paul O’Neill subsequently delivered a 2-run single off reliever John Rocker; the Yankees wound up winning 4-1 and coasted to the sweep.

2000: Four-Peat

In 2000, Derek Jeter wasn’t able to duplicate his career-best numbers from 1999 but still had another excellent campaign, one in which he finally earned the fan vote as the American League’s starting shortstop in the All-Star Game.

Hall of Fame Moments: #19 (July 11, 2000, All-Star Game at Atlanta)

In the A.L. lineup for the first time in the Mid-Summer Classic, Jeter seized on the opportunity. Facing Randy Johnson (of the Arizona Diamondbacks), Jeter doubled in the first inning but was stranded by the next two batters. In the top of the 3rd, facing the Los Angeles Dodgers’ Kevin Brown, Jeter singled and scored the game’s first run. Finally, with the score tied at the bottom of the 4th, Jeter hit a sharp single up the middle off the New York Mets’ Al Leiter to score two runs and give the A.L. a 3-1 lead.

The Junior Circuit hung on to win the game 6-3, with Mariano Rivera closing it out. Jeter was named the game’s MVP.

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As for the 2000 Yankees, the team’s starting pitching struggled despite the presence of Clemens. The Yanks won the A.L. East again but this time with a less than awe-inspiring 87-74 record.

2000 Postseason

In the ALDS (against the Oakland Athletics), Jeter went 0 for 8 in the first two games, which the teams split in Oakland. In Game 3 (at Yankee Stadium), he delivered a RBI single in the 2nd inning and drove in another run on a ground ball in the 4th. The Yankees won 4-2. The teams then split the final two games, giving the Bronx Bombers a 3-2 Series win.

The Yankees’ opponent in the ALCS was the Seattle Mariners, setting up a re-match of the thrilling ’95 Division Series. This was also the first postseason matchup of two of the hottest young stars in the game, Jeter and Alex Rodriguez. The M’s won Game 1, with Jeter striking out 3 times and A-Rod hitting a solo home run. In Game 2, Jeter went 2 for 4 with a 2-run tater in New York’s 7-1 win.

The Yankees easily won both Games 3 and 4, with Jeter the hitting star of the 4th game. In the top of the 5th in a scoreless contest, the Yankees shortstop hit a 3-run home run off Paul Abbott. Those were the only runs Clemens would need in a 5-0 victory, a one-hit shutout in which the Rocket struck out 15 Mariners. The teams split the last two games of the series, giving the Yankees the pennant and a World Series matchup against the crosstown New York Mets.

This was the first “Subway Series” between two New York City teams since the Yankees beat the Brooklyn Dodgers in 1956. Game 1 (at Yankee Stadium) was a thriller worthy of the city’s 44-year wait. The pitching card featured lefties Andy Pettitte for the Yankees and Leiter for the Mets.

Hall of Fame Moments: #20 (Oct. 21, 2000, World Series Game 1 v. N.Y. Mets)

The game was scoreless going into the top of the 6th inning when Timo Perez led off with a single off Pettitte. After Pettitte retired the next two batters, Mets’ first baseman Todd Zeile hit a liner down the left-field line that hit the top of the wall and bounced back into play. Left fielder David Justice threw the ball in to Jeter, who whirled to throw Perez out at the plate, preserving the shutout.

Ultimately, Game 1 went 12 innings, with the Yankees prevailing by a 4-3 score. The Yankees also won Game 2 (with Jeter going 3 for 5 with 2 doubles and a run scored) before losing Game 3 at Shea Stadium.

Hall of Fame Moments: #21 (Oct. 25, 2000, World Series Game 4 at N.Y. Mets)

Derek Jeter served notice right away at the start of Game 4, again at Shea. Facing Mets right-hander Bobby Jones, Jeter walloped the first pitch of the game for a solo homer. Jeter later tripled and scored in the top of the 3rd inning to give the Yankees a 3-0 lead, a lead that would hold up in a 3-2 victory.

Hall of Fame Moments: #22 (Oct. 26, 2000, World Series Game 5 at N.Y. Mets)

Game 5 featured a pitching re-match between Pettitte and Leiter. With the Mets clinging to a 2-1 lead in the top of the 6th, the Yankees’ new Mr. October delivered again with a solo tater to tie the score at 2.

The Yankees went ahead in the top of the 9th on a single by backup second sacker Luis Sojo; Rivera held on to save the game and give the Bronx Bombers’ their fourth World Series title in five years.

Jeter finished the series with a slash line of .409/.480/.864 and 6 runs scored; he was named the World Series MVP to add to his trophy shelf with his All-Star MVP earlier in the year.

2001: Fifth Time Not a Charm

Although he failed to eclipse the 200-hit mark for the first time since 1997, Jeter had another solid season with the bat. He made his 4th straight All-Star Game, this time as a reserve behind A-Rod. The 2001 All-Star game is iconic in that it was the final of 19 All-Star appearances for Cal Ripken Jr., the shortstop who set the standards that Jeter, A-Rod, and Nomar were trying to match. Like Jeter would have late in his career, Ripken had a sense of dramatic timing. In his first at bat, Ripken hit a solo home run to break a scoreless tie.

Hall of Fame Moments: #23 (July 10, 2001, All-Star Game at Seattle)

Later in the game, leading off the bottom of the 6th inning, Jeter matched the future Hall of Famer Ripken by delivering a solo tater of his own, helping the A.L. to a 4-1 victory.

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2001 Postseason

The Yankees were back in the playoffs for 2001, thanks to a 95-65 regular season which was good enough to win the A.L. East. In this particular season, the A.L. West was the power division, led by the 116-win Mariners and 102-win Athletics. In the ALDS the Yankees faced the A’s for the second straight postseason. Derek Jeter went 5 for 8 in the first two games but did not score any runs as the A’s won both contests.

Hall of Fame Moments: #24 (Oct. 13, 2001, ALDS Game 3 at Oakland) 

The Yankee shortstop did not get any hits in Game 3 but was involved in one of the most renowned defensive plays in baseball history. In the bottom of the 7th inning, future Hall of Famer Mike Mussina was on the bump for the Yankees and was nursing a 1-0 lead. With two outs and Jeremy Giambi on first, right fielder Terrance Long hit a line drive down the right-field line. As Giambi raced around the bases, the throw from right fielder Shane Spencer drifted off-line and missed two cut-off men.

Seemingly out of nowhere, Derek Jeter crossed the first base foul line to grab the ball bare-handed and flip it back-handed to Jorge Posada, who tagged Giambi out at the plate. For all time, this is known as Jeter’s “flip play.”

With two scoreless innings from Rivera, the Yankees hung on to win 1-0. The Yankees easily won Game 4 by a 9-2 score (with Jeter scoring 2 runs), sending the game back to New York for a “win or go home” contest.

Hall of Fame Moments: #25 (Oct. 15, 2001, ALDS Game 5 v. Oakland) 

Game 5 was back at Yankee Stadium. Thanks in part due to a 4th inning sacrifice fly by Jeter, the Yankees had a 5-3 lead as the game moved to the top of the 8th inning. As he so often did, Torre brought in Rivera for a 2-inning save. With one out and a runner at first base, Long hit a foul pop down the left-field line. Jeter raced towards the stands, making the catch while tumbling into the seats.

This wasn’t what we refer to know as “The Flip” but Jeter did flip over the short wall.

Four outs later, Rivera sealed the deal to send the Yankees back to the ALCS for a matchup with the 116-win Mariners. Surprisingly, the Yankees dispatched the M’s quite easily, winning in 5 Games.

The 2001 World Series

Until this most recent October, you’d be hard-pressed to find a World Series with more quality starting pitching than the 2001 World Series between the Yankees and Arizona Diamondbacks. The Yankees had Clemens, Mussina, Pettitte, and Orlando Hernandez fronting their rotation while the D’Backs had the dynamic one-two duo of Hall of Famer Randy Johnson and Curt Schilling, who is will be on the BBWAA Hall of Fame ballot for the 10th and final time this December.

Behind their two aces, Arizona crushed the Bronx Bombers in Games 1 and 2, winning by scores of 9-1 and 4-0. Behind Clemens and Rivera, the Yankees clawed back in Game 3 with a 2-1 victory.

Hall of Fame Moments: #26 (Oct. 31, 2001, World Series Game 4 v. Arizona)

#26 on our greatest moments countdown is almost definitely the most famous in the career of Derek Jeter. In Game 4 of the World Series, on Halloween night, Schilling tossed 7 innings of one-run ball; the D’Backs had a 3-1 lead going into the bottom of the 9th. Against Arizona closer Byung-Hyun-Kim, Tino Martinez hit a two-run blast to tie the game at 3.

After Rivera set down the side in order in the top of the 10th, Kim retired the first two batters in the bottom of the frame. Jeter came to the plate next and worked a 3-2 count with multiple foul balls. Shortly after the clock struck midnight, Jeter swatted Kim’s offering deep to right-center field for a walk-off home run. Because the calendar had flipped from October to November, Yankees radio announcer Michael Kay cleverly bellowed “He is Mr. November!”

Incidentally, in case you’re curious why Game 4 was being played on October 31st, remember that this was 2001. The sport shut down for a week after the 9/11 terrorist attacks.

Ultimately, Jeter’s “Mr. November” moment did not result in his 5th World Series ring. The Diamondbacks won in Game 7 in the famous and rare game in which Rivera blew a save. The D’Backs won 3-2 on a walk-off broken-bat bloop by Luis Gonzalez.

2002: The Yankees Actually Don’t Make the World Series

Derek Jeter had another solid season with the bat in 2002 although it was not up to the lofty standards he had set in the previous several seasons. His 111 OPS+ was his lowest mark since 1997. He partially made up for it, however, by successfully swiping 32 out of 35 bases, leading to 124 runs scored, 3rd most in the league.

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With 103 wins, the Yankees easily won their 5th straight A.L. East title, putting them back into the postseason.

Hall of Fame Moments: #27 (Oct. 1, 2002, ALDS Game 1 v. Anaheim)

Facing the Anaheim Angels in the ALDS, Jeter set the tone in Game 1 with a solo home run in the bottom of the 1st inning off Jarrod Washburn. All told, Jeter went 2 for 2 with 2 walks and 3 runs scored in the Yankees’ 8-5 victory.

Jeter’s bat remained hot (going 6 for 14 with another long ball) but the Yankees’ pitchers got walloped by the Angels, who won Games 2, 3, and 4, all with at least 8 runs scored. For the first time since 1997, the Yankees’ players and fans watched the World Series (eventually won by Anaheim) on television.

2003: Yankee Captain

Derek Jeter’s 2003 campaign was shortened to just 119 games thanks to an Opening Day dislocated shoulder. Once he returned in mid-May, Jeter performed at a high level. A few weeks after he returned to the lineup (on June 3rd), Jeter was named the first captain of the Yankees since Don Mattingly. Because of his truncated campaign, Jeter did not participate in the All-Star Game for the first time since 1997.

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With 101 wins, the Yankees once again won the A.L. East. In the opening round of the playoffs (against the Minnesota Twins), Jeter slashed .429/.556/.643 with a solo tater in New York’s 3-to-1 series win.

In the ALCS, the Yankees were matched up against their longtime rivals (the Boston Red Sox). After the teams split the first two games, Game 3 featured a legendary pitching card, with Clemens going up against Hall of Famer Pedro Martinez. Clemens and three relievers (including Rivera for 2 innings) got the best of Pedro, with Jeter drawing proverbial blood with a solo tater off Pedro in the 3rd inning. (This game, of course, was also notable for the brawl in the 4th inning after Martinez hit Karim Garcia with a pitch).

As befitting a bout between two bitter rivals, this one went the distance, to Game 7 at Yankee Stadium.

Hall of Fame Moments: #28 (Oct. 16, 2003, ALCS Game 7 v. Boston)

Game 7 of the ALCS featured a rematch between Clemens and Martinez. The Red Sox tagged the Rocket for 4 runs in 3+ innings, causing Joe Torre to go to Mike Mussina out of the bullpen. The future Cooperstown inductee delivered 3 innings of scoreless ball to keep the Yankees in the game. Still, after David Ortiz hit a solo homer in the top of the 8th, the Red Sox and Martinez had a 5-2 lead entering the bottom of the 8th.

After Pedro got Nick Johnson to pop out, Jeter strode to the plate and did what he did so often in his career, going the other way for an opposite-field double. After the Captain’s double, Bernie Williams drove him in with a single. Hideki Matsui and Jorge Posada both followed with doubles to tie the score at 5. For sparking the famous 3-run rally, I’ve dubbed this as Jeter’s 28th Hall of Fame moment.

As most baseball fans know, the Yankees won the game in the 11th inning on a walk-off home run by Aaron Boone, now the team’s manager.

The World Series didn’t have as happy an ending. Against the Florida Marlins, the Yankees fell in 6 games, despite Jeter posting a slash line of .346/.393/.462 with 3 doubles and 2 RBI.

2004: Jeter and A-Rod on the Left Side of the Infield

The 2004 Yankees featured the first season of Alex Rodriguez in pinstripes. New York dealt Alfonso Soriano to the Rangers in exchange for Jeter’s friendly rival at the shortstop position. The team decided to leave their Captain at shortstop, putting A-Rod at 3rd base. The pairing of two of the game’s marquee stars created the possibility, for the first time, that both players could start in the All-Star Game.

At the beginning of 2004, it didn’t look like Jeter deserved that honor. He got off to a terrible start, with a slash line of .177/.250/.234 (with just 1 HR and 9 RBI) after 29 games. Starting with a game on May 9th, Jeter turned his season around. In that game, A-Rod, Jeter, and first baseman Jason Giambi all homered to lead New York to a 7-6 win. Including that contest, Jeter slashed .332/.384/.571 in 53 games and earned the starting nod in the Mid-Summer Classic, next to Rodriguez at 3rd base.

Hall of Fame Moments: #29 (July 1, 2004, v. Boston)

Even while today’s metrics consistently place Jeter near the bottom of all shortstops defensively, he was good for highlight-reel material. In a July 1st game at Yankee Stadium (against the Red Sox), Jeter pulled off a near duplicate of his 2001 ALDS Game 5 catch by tumbling into the stands on a full run while successfully chasing a flare down the left-field line off the bat of Trot Nixon.

Why was Jeter so hell-bent on making the play? Perhaps it’s because it was the top of the 12th inning and the Red Sox had runners on 2nd and 3rd base who would have scored if the ball had fallen fair. Yes, thanks in part to Jeter’s tumbling grab, the Yankees won the game in 14 innings.

At the end of the season, the Yankees (of course) were the A.L. East champions, winning 101 games to Boston’s 98.

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For the second year in a row, the Yankees faced the Minnesota Twins in the ALDS.

Hall of Fame Moments: #30 (Oct. 6, 2004, ALDS Game 2 v. Minnesota)

After the Twins won Game 1, the Yankee Captain set the tone in Game 2 by leading off the bottom of the first inning with a solo home run deep to center field.

New York wound up winning the series in 4 games, thanks in part to Jeter’s 3 hits and 3 RBI in Game 3.

History records the 2004 ALCS between the Yankees and Red Sox as the one that featured the greatest series comeback in the history of baseball’s postseason. Famously, the Yankees won the first three games of the series, with the Red Sox starting their historic comeback by winning Game 4 on a walk-off home run by David Ortiz in the bottom of the 12th.

Hall of Fame Moments: #31 (Oct. 18, 2004, ALCS Game 5 at Boston)

Although the Red Sox would also win the next three games, becoming the first and only team to come back from a 3-0 series deficit, Derek Jeter had two significant moments in the 14-inning Game 5 loss.

In the 5th inning, with the Yankees up 2-1, Jeter made a nice play deep in the hole for a force at 2nd base to end the inning. Then, in the bottom of the frame, Jeter sliced a Pedro Martinez offering down the line for a 3-run double to give the Bronx Bombers a temporary 4-2 lead.

In the YouTube pop-up below, you’ll see a freeze-frame of Ortiz’s 14th inning walk-off single, one of his many great October moments. As this piece is an ode to Jeter, you can find his superb defensive play 7:30 into this 22-minute video. His 3-run double occurs at 8:30 into the clip.

After the season Jeter won his first Gold Glove, perhaps another collateral benefit to A-Rod moving to third (Rodriguez had been the A.L.’s Gold Glove recipient in 2002 and 2003).

2005: First Slam

In the complete opposite of what happened in 2004, Derek Jeter got off to a fast start in 2005. After 19 games, he was slashing .361/.478/.514, including 2 HR and 11 RBI.

Hall of Fame Moments: #32 (April 5, 2005, v. Boston)

One of the 2 taters in Jeter’s first 19 games occurred at the end of the second game of the season. The schedulers of Major League Baseball did not make the Yankees wait long to exact a measure of revenge against the defending World Champion Red Sox. After a 9-2 Opening Day victory, the Yankees and Red Sox went to the bottom of the 9th with a 3-3 tie in the second game of the season. On a full count, Jeter deposited Keith Foulke‘s offering over the right center field wall to deliver a walk-off win for the Bronx Bombers.

Hall of Fame Moments: #33 (June 18, 2005, v. Chicago Cubs)

On June 18th, Jeter hit two home runs against the Chicago White Sox, the 157th and 158th of his career. Home run #157 was, surprisingly, the only one of Jeter’s career in which he hit a long ball with the sacks full. His first career grand slam came at the expense of the Cubs’ Joe Borowski.

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New York sat atop the A.L. East once again at the end of the 2005 season. In the ALDS against the Angels (now dubbed the Los Angeles Angels of Anaheim), the Yankees fell in 5 games despite an excellent series from Jeter (.333/.348/.619 with 2 HR and 5 RBI).

After the season, Jeter won his 2nd Gold Glove award despite defensive metrics that Baseball-Reference lists as the second-worst among all A.L. shortstops and the worst of Jeter’s entire career.

2006: MVP Candidate

Derek Jeter had arguably his best offensive season since 1999 in the 2006 campaign, his age 32 season. There’s a lot to like in the numbers below, including his slash line, hit and runs totals, and success stealing bases.

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In late May, Jeter reached a significant milestone with his 2,000th career hit.

Hall of Fame Moments: #34 (May 26, 2006, v. Kansas City)

With 97 wins, the Yankees won their 9th straight A.L. East division title under Joe Torre. The Bronx Bombers lost once again in the ALDS, this time in 4 games to the Detroit Tigers. The only bright spot, however, was their Captain’s performance in Game 1, a 8-4 win. In that victory, Jeter went 5 for 5 with a solo home run, 2 doubles, and 3 runs scored.

Hall of Fame Moments: #35 (Oct. 3, 2006, ALDS Game 1 v. Detroit)

With his improved offensive numbers, stolen base success rate and third straight Gold Glove, Jeter finished 2nd in the MVP vote to Minnesota’s Justin Morneau. It was an extremely close race, with Morneau winning 15 first-place votes compared to Jeter’s 12.

For the first time in his career, Jeter was the well-deserved winner of the A.L. Silver Slugger Award.

2007: 12th Straight Postseason for Jeter

2007 was another solid campaign for Jeter but one without any significant milestones or Hall of Fame moments. The Yankees finally failed to win their division, although they did make the playoffs again as the A.L. Wild Card. Once again, however, the team fell in the first round, losing in 4 games to the Cleveland Indians. In the series loss, Jeter hit just .176 with one RBI.

For his performance in the regular season, Jeter’s offensive statistics were good enough for another Silver Slugger Award and an 11th place MVP finish.

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2008: New Skipper, No October

After serving as the Yankees’ manager for 12 seasons, a seeming eternity by the standards of owner George Steinbrenner, Joe Torre did not return for the 2008 season. Torre was replaced by Joe Girardi, a member of the 1996, ’98, and ’99 World Series champions.

The Yankees did not make the playoffs for the first time in Derek Jeter’s career, falling 6 games shy of the Wild Card spot. It’s only partially a coincidence that this was Jeter’s worst year offensively, as you can see by the numbers below. They’re not terrible, mind you, but they weren’t up to Jeter’s standards. Still, he was the A.L. Silver Slugger winner anyway.

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Jeter was the A.L.’s starting shortstop in his 9th overall appearance in the Mid-Summer Classic. This one had the significance of being played at Yankee Stadium for the final time.

Hall of Fame Moments: #36 (Sept 16, 2008, vs. Chicago White Sox)

There was one moment of the Yankees’ and Jeter’s “lost” season that had resonance. On September 16th, Derek Jeter delivered his 1,270th hit at Yankee Stadium, breaking the record of Hall of Famer Lou Gehrig. Given that this was the final year of the 85-year old ballpark, there was extra significance ascribed by Yankee fans to the moment.

5 days later, the Yankees played their final game at the House that Ruth built.

2009: MVP Candidate One Final Time

As you can see by the numbers below, Derek Jeter had a renaissance campaign in 2009. He hit at a high level, stole 30 bases in his age 35 season, and posted the best “Total Zone Runs” fielding metrics of his entire career. For this, he posted a 6.6 WAR, won his 4th Gold Glove, and finished 3rd in the MVP vote behind Minnesota’s Joe Mauer and his new teammate, first baseman Mark Teixeira.

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With Teixeira and pitcher CC Sabathia as high-impact free agent signings to celebrate the “new” Yankee Stadium, the Bronx Bombers won 103 games to easily take the A.L. East.

Hall of Fame Moments: #37 (Oct. 7, 2009, ALDS Game 1 v. Minnesota)

It should not come as a surprise that, in the first playoff game in the new Yankee Stadium, the Yankees Captain was a leading man in the narrative of the outcome. With the Yankees down 2-0 in the bottom of the 3rd inning, Jeter hit a 2-run home run to tie the score at 2. All told, Jeter went 2 for 2 with 2 walks and 3 runs scored in New York’s 7-2 win.

Powered by A-Rod’s 1.500 OPS (with 2 HR, 6 RBI), the Yankees swept the Twins in 3 games.

The Yankees were matched up in the ALCS against the Los Angeles Angels, their nemesis in two previous postseasons. The Yankees won the first two games of the series, with Jeter going deep in the bottom of the 3rd inning in Game 2.

Hall of Fame Moments: #38 (Oct. 17, 2009, ALCS Game 2 v. Los Angeles Angels)

Jeter also homered in a Game 3 loss. All told, the Yankees dispatched of the Angels in 6 games.

In the World Series for the first time since 2003, the Yankees defeated the Philadelphia Phillies in 6 games. Although he didn’t have any YouTube moments, Jeter had a great series in his Final Fall Classic appearance, slashing .407/.429/.519 with 3 doubles and a RBI. In the Game 6 clincher, Jeter went 3 for 5 with 2 runs scored.

The Yankee Captain also received one of sport’s highest honors by being named the Sports Illustrated Sportsman of the Year.

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2010: Decline Phase?

In 157 games in 2010, Derek Jeter led the American League with 739 plate appearances but in this, his age 36 season, he clearly showed signs that he might be beginning the decline phase of his career. Yes, with a powerhouse lineup behind him as the Yankees’ leadoff hitter, Jeter did score 111 runs, the second-most in the league. But his slash line was weak as reflected by his below-average OPS+.

Jeter was the league’s starting shortstop again in the All-Star Game and won his 5th Gold Glove (a win likely bestowed because he only made 6 errors on the season).

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The Yankees made the playoffs again, swept the Twins in the ALDS but lost to the Texas Rangers in the ALCS. All told, Jeter slashed a mediocre .250/.286/.375 with just 2 RBI and 2 runs scored in 8 games.

2011: 3,000th Career Hit

Injuries limited Derek Jeter to 131 games in 2011, another middling season offensively. Still, it was a season in which Jeter proved his flair for the dramatic by collecting his 3,000th career hit by touching all the bases. Because Jeter is not one to leave a milestone alone, he went 5 for 5 in the game, one of just 5 times in his career (including the postseason) that he collected 5 knocks in a single contest.

Hall of Fame Moments: #39 (July 9, 2011, v. Tampa Bay)

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For the season, once again the Bronx Bombers made the postseason but failed to advance beyond the first round. The Yankees fell in 5 games to the Detroit Tigers, with Jeter posting another mediocre slash line (.250/.280/.292).

2012: Final Quality Campaign

Derek Jeter had one final big season in his gas tank. In the season in which he turned 38 years of age, Jeter led the majors in plate appearances, at bats, and hits. Jeter’s 216 hits were the second-most in the history of baseball for a player 38 years of age or older (Paul Molitor, as a DH, rapped 225 hits in 1996).

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In the playoffs for the 16th time in his career, Jeter had a big series in the ALDS, slashing .364/.391/.500 with a double, triple, 2 RBI, and 4 runs scored in the Yankees’ 5-game series win over the Baltimore Orioles.

In Game 1 of the ALCS (against the Detroit Tigers), the Yankees trailed 4-0 going into the bottom of the 9th inning. Against Tigers’ closer Jose Valverde, a pair of veterans (Ichiro Suzuki and Raul Ibanez) each swatted 2-run home runs to tie the score and send the game into extra innings. As it turns out, Yankee fans would have been happier if the game had ended in 9 frames.

In the top of the 12th, the Tigers took a 5-4 lead on a RBI double by Delmon Young. The next batter (Jhonny Peralta) hit a ground ball towards shortstop. Jeter went to his left to snare the hard-hit grounder, catching the ball but then stumbling as his left foot collapsed underneath him. In what would turn out to be the final thing he ever did in a postseason game, Derek Jeter broke his ankle.

Jeter’s season was over and, five days later, the Yankees’ season was over as well. The Tigers completed a 4-game sweep over the deflated Bombers.

Jeter finished his postseason career with a .308 average, 20 HR, 61 RBI, and 111 Runs Scored. And, oh yes, five World Series rings.

2013: Lost Season

Thanks in significant part to the ankle injury in the 2012 ALCS, Jeter only played 17 games in 2013. It was a lost season for the Yankees as well; the team finished in 3rd place in the A.L. East, missing the playoffs for just the second time in the previous 19 years.

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2014: The Captain’s Final Voyage

Derek Jeter returned for what he announced would be his final MLB campaign in 2014, his age 40 season. Much as it had been with his longtime teammate Mariano Rivera the year before, the Yankees shortstop was feted throughout the league, with fans and players in visiting ballparks all expressing their appreciation for the greatness of the sure-fire Hall of Famer.

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Jeter did not play especially well in his swan song (you can see the numbers above) and, considering that New York missed the playoffs by four games, it’s not unreasonable to surmise that the Yankees missed the postseason party in part because of Jeter’s season-long party. Many fans didn’t care. It was a year to celebrate a magnificent career of a player admired by fans around the world.

To finish this video recap of the career of Mr. November, I offer three “lasts,” his last career All-Star Game, his final game at Yankee Stadium, and his last game in baseball.

Hall of Fame Moments: #40 (July 15, 2014, All-Star Game at Minnesota)

First up is the All-Star Game. Despite the weak numbers, Jeter was voted by the fans to start the Mid-Summer Classic in what was his 14th overall appearance. Jeter led off the game with an opposite-field double off the Cardinals’ Adam Wainwright, who later suggested that he might have grooved the pitch to allow Jeter to get a hit in his All-Star finale. Regardless, Jeter scored on a RBI triple by Mike Trout. Jeter also led off the 3rd inning with a single, going 2 for 2 before taking his bows.

Hall of Fame Moments: #41 (Sept. 25, 2014, v. Baltimore)

For Derek Jeter and Yankee fans everywhere, the last home game on the schedule was circled for months. September 25th, 2014, against the Baltimore Orioles, would be the final game at Yankee Stadium for Derek Jeter. By the time the game arrived, it was already settled that New York would not make the playoffs. All that mattered now was the majesty of the moments for the hometown fans seeing their beloved star for the final time.

Jeter got his party started in the bottom of the 1st inning with a run-scoring double. By the time the game reached the 9th inning, the score was tied. Designated hitter Jose Pirela reached base against Orioles’ reliever Evan Meek with a single to left field. After Antoan Richardson came off the bench to pinch-run for Pirela, leadoff batter Brett Gardner bunted the runner to 2nd base, setting the table for history.

On the first pitch offered by Meek, Jeter used his trademark inside-out swing to single to right field, scoring Richardson from 2nd base and winning the game for the Yankees. It was Jeter’s first walk-off hit since 2007. Just as it was with his 5-for-5 performance on the day of his 3,000th hit, Jeter showed an uncanny flair for the dramatic in his tearful end to baseball in the Bronx.

For the record, remember the name Antoan Richardson as an unlikely Yankee to have the honor of scoring the run on Jeter’s final hit at Yankee Stadium. Richardson played in just 22 games in two MLB seasons, scoring a total of 4 runs.

Hall of Fame Moments: #42 (Sept. 28, 2014, at Boston)

Although it seemed anti-climatic, the Yankees had three more games to play, at Fenway Park in Boston. Out of respect to the fans of both the Red Sox and Yankees, many of whom had bought tickets months in advance to see Derek Jeter for one last time, Jeter and the Yankees did not allow his career to end with the cinematic perfection of the walk-off hit at home.

After skipping Friday night’s contest, Jeter started as the team’s DH in the games on Saturday and Sunday. On Saturday Jeter went 1 for 2 before coming out of the game.

On Sunday, the Yankee Captain lined out in his first at bat against Red Sox starter Clay Buchholz. In the 3rd inning, with Ichiro Suzuki on 3rd base, Jeter chopped a ground ball down the 3rd base line that safely settled for an infield hit. It was the 3,465th and final hit of his career as well as his 1,311th and final RBI.

The final at bat featured one future Hall of Famer (Jeter) driving in another (Ichiro) in the former’s final farewell to the game of Major League Baseball as a player. Jeter was removed from the game to a standing ovation by the Fenway faithful, who know a visiting player worth cheering for when they see him.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_6FNWS7jG2g

After 2,747 games and 12,602 plate appearances, Derek Jeter’s career was finally over. Mr. November’s career ended on September 28, 2014.

Conclusion:

When Derek Jeter’s plaque is belatedly unveiled in Cooperstown tomorrow, he will be the 9th player to spend his entire playing career in a Yankees uniform to be inducted into the Hall of Fame. With that distinct honor, he joins legends Lou Gehrig, Joe DiMaggio, Mickey Mantle, Whitey Ford, and Mariano Rivera as well as Earle Combs, Bill Dickey, and Phil Rizzuto.

Jeter also will join Cal Ripken Jr., Barry Larkin, and Alan Trammell as shortstops to spend their entire career with one team to be inducted into Cooperstown since 2007.

If you’ve made it this far without skimming past some sections, you deserve to be in the Hall of Fame of readers.

Thanks for reading. Please follow Cooperstown Cred on Twitter @cooperstowncred.

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