Baseball icon Derek Jeter finished off his twenty season career in Fenway Park against rival team, The Boston Red Sox. The New York Yankee captain and idol for many young players and fans ended the game in a single to third base, topping off the Yankee victory against the Red Sox nine to five. Jeter retired being one of five players to record over three thousand hits, two hundred home runs, and three hundred stolen bases along with a batting average of .310 and a member of five Yankee championship teams.
Derek Jeter was overwhelmed with praise and gifts from rival teams and extreme love and respect from Yankee fans, as well as the baseball community. Jeter has gained the respect of baseball fans and players across the nation. Many players gave their respects to Jeter throughout the last few weeks of his career. Bryce Harper, Washington Nationals Outfielder, shares in an article by the Washington Post, “Jeter is somebody that, he’s not just the captain of the Yankees, but captain of all of baseball. He’s the true baseball player, and the guy that you want to be like on and off the field. He’s somebody that I’ve looked up my whole career. Being able to play against him was something that, you know, I’ll never forget.” Derek Jeter held the captain position on the Yankees since 2003.
Over the years, Jeter has become a huge icon in baseball. Not only do players and fans around the country refer to him as “The Captain”, but many other names have become associated with his name such as “Captain Clutch” and “Mr. November”. The phrase RE2PECT is now associated with his name due to the level of respect and honor his name has in the baseball word and him being number two on the field.
Derek Jeter, inspiration to many, and the face of baseball, ends his long career being one of the most iconic players in baseball history. Jeter ends his amazing career stating,“You want to be known as someone who had respect for the game, respect for your teammates, respect for the fans, respect for the media, played the game hard,” he said. “But for me, I’m happy to be known as a Yankee. That’s the only thing I ever wanted to be was the shortstop for the New York Yankees and I had an opportunity to do that for parts of 20 years. So being remembered as a Yankee is good enough for me.”
