Even at Fenway Park, where the Yankee’s fiercest rivals live, Derek Jeter was honored before, during and after his last game in a Yankee uniform this past Sunday.
Appropriately enough, Jeter got a hit, albeit a single on his very last at bat for his beloved New York team. He beat out the throw to first base on his infield single and subsequently received a huge standing ovation from the highly partisan Red Sox crowd at Fenway Park when he was taken out of the game for a pinch-runner.
Folks who aren’t exactly die-hard baseball fans may be wondering what all the fuss is about. Sure, everyone has heard of Derek Jeter, but was he really that good? The answer to that one is always an easy ‘yes Sir, he certainly was’.
Just take a quick look at where Jeter stands alongside some of the greatest names in the history of Major League Baseball. In the category of most career hits, Jeter ranks sixth all time behind Stan Musial, Hank Aaron, Ty Cobb and, of course, Pete Rose. In career runs scored he is tenth right behind Stan Musial.
For the record number of times on base, Jeter ranks twelfth, between Willie Mays and Ted Williams in a category once again led by Pete Rose.
Jeter ended up tied with Hank Aaron for the number of seasons with at least 150 hits behind Ty Cobb, Tris Speaker, and again Pete Rose. In the prestigious category of the most seasons with over 200 hits with a batting average over .300, Jeter tied with Lou Gehrig, only Ty Cobb, Pete Rose and Ichiro Suzuki have slightly more.
However, it is in the field of post season play where the numbers on Derek Jeter really stand out. He leads in practically all categories including most career postseason games played, most career postseason hits, the most doubles and the most triples ever recorded in postseason play. For career postseason home runs, Jeter only managed to come in third behind Manny Ramirez and Bernie Williams.
This is in the entire history of Major League Baseball that we are talking about here. So, when someone asks if Derek Jeter is really worth all this fuss, you betcha he is.
And just to prove that it’s so, Derek Jeter will be featured on the cover of the New Yorker magazine with an excellent caricature by artist Mark Ulriksen, a Red Sox fan.
The entire city of New York, along with baseball fans everywhere wish Derek Jeter all the best and say thanks for some wonderful moments and memories.
