Some baseball players are guaranteed a place in the Hall of Fame as soon as they end their career and Derek Jeter is a shining example. He played his entire career for the New York Yankees and by the time he exited Sunday’s game played against the archrivals, the crowds were already chanting. He left his team in a clear advantage, with the New Yorkers having a three points lead and it is very likely that the fans will remember this moment long after he will be inducted into the Hall of Fame.
There were some who expected Derek to sit on the bench as he was struggling with a hamstring one day before, but he decided to go out with the bang. It would’ve been unfair for the legendary player to conclude his illustrious career without a farewell match and Yankees fans would’ve been disappointed. He met expectations on Sunday and played as well as he did many years ago, with manager Joe Girardi only retiring him after he completed his rotation.
The numbers speak for themselves, with Jeter bragging about 3465 career hits which makes him the most prolific Yankees player in history. The same goes for the RBI which sits at a massive 1311, once again among the best Yankee players ever to have graced the pitch. Last but definitely not least, there has a formidable batting average of .309 so it is only fair to say that he will be direly missed.
The organization is going through some rough times and the fact that they failed to make the playoffs is only going to make matters worse. It is only a palid consolation that Boston Red Sox was also eliminated from the race many weeks ago as they finished in the last place on the East division. Overall, the Yankees were mediocre this season, but Derek Jeter was once again stellar and it will be very hard for the team to find a worthy replacement.
Equally impressive was the last match played at Yankee Stadium, where he competed in front of a packed arena and won the game with a walkoff single. It is too early to make assumptions about whether the legendary player will decide to stick around and help the Yankees in different ways or if his baseball career is over completely. The only certainty is that he has a well-deserved place in the Hall of Fame and he will find himself in excellent company in Cooperstown.