Derek Jeter by Slidely Slideshow
On June 26, 1974, a star by the name of Derek Jeter was
born. Little did the world know, what a
legend he would become.
Jeter was drafted by the Yankees into their Minor League
System and made his Major League baseball debut on May 29, 1995. However, he got sent back down to the minors,
where he admits that he cried repeatedly thinking he had ruined all hopes of
his career.
Putting in a tremendous amount of work, Jeter was put on the
1996 roster as the starting shortstop, under manager Joe Torre. Everyone doubted a rookie starting at
shortstop, but he quickly put those doubts to rest. He was the 1996 Rookie of the Year, and
helped the Yankees win yet another World Series championship title.
Along with his first and second All Star Game nomination, Jeter
went on to win his second and third World Series title with the Yankees in 1998
and 1999.
THE
MAGNIFICENT MILLINEUM
The year 2000 proved to be a phenomenal one for Jeter. Along with winning M.V.P. in his third All
Star Game, he won M.V.P. for his fourth World Series run. Jeter and the Yankees would go on to win
their fourth title in the past five years beating the Mets out for the
championship.
In 2001, Jeter earned the nickname, "Mr. November" after hitting a home run during the World Series against the Arizona Diamondbacks as the clock struck midnight on November 1st.
In 2001, Jeter earned the nickname, "Mr. November" after hitting a home run during the World Series against the Arizona Diamondbacks as the clock struck midnight on November 1st.
In June of 2003, George Steinbrenner made Jeter the official
Yankees’ Captain.
In 2004, Derek Jeter won his first Gold Glove Award, which he made clear he deserved during his dive into the stands against Boston on July 1st, 2004.
In March of 2009, Jeter was named the Captain of Team USA
for the World Baseball Classic. By
August that same season, Jeter had tied and broke the record for most career
hits by a shortstop. On September 11th
of the 2009 season, Jeter tied Lou Gehrig on the Yankees’ career hits list. The Yankees went on to win another World
Series championship title that year, Jeter’s fifth one.
On July 9, 2011 Derek Jeter joined the 3000 hit club. Going 5 for 5 that day, Jeter homered on his
3000th hit, making him the sixth ever shortstop to do so in MLB
history.
Sadly, in the 2012 ALCS, Jeter went down with an ankle
injury. In game 1, Jeter broke his left
ankle diving for a ground ball in the 12th inning. Jeter would go on to miss the rest of the
postseason as well as most of the following season in 2013. He returned briefly in July of 2013 but then
had a quad issue and was put on the DL.
In September of 2013, the Yankees said Jeter was out regardless of what
their post season looked like.
THE
BEGINNING OF THE END
In February of 2014, as Jeter and the Yankees were preparing
for the new season, Jeter announced that after the 2014 season, he would be
retiring. The 2014 season was a special
one for Jeter and for fans, truly embracing every moment along the way. From his final home opener to his last All
Star Game, to Derek Jeter Day on September 7th, Jeter confirmed how
special he really is. On September 25th,
Jeter ‘s final hit in the Yankee cathedral was a walk off RBI. Going out in true Derek Jeter fashion, he led
the team to a victory win.
