Two of the biggest rivals in Major League Baseball, the New York Yankees and Boston Red Sox, took a timeout from their hatred of each other on Sunday to honor Yankees shortstop Derek Jeter.
Sunday was the final game in the Yankees captain's 20-year career. Jeter was last Yankee from the great mid-90s to early 2000s to retire.
Even the biggest New York Yankees hater would begrudgingly admit that Jeter was the consummate professional. He gave his all every time he stepped foot on the field and was only known outside the sport for his endorsements, charitable giving and whom he dated.
The Yankees selected Jeter out of the University of Michigan with the sixth pick in the 1992 MLB Draft. None of the selections before Jeter amounted to much in professional baseball.
Jeter signed with the Yankees for $800,000 and spent the next four seasons in the minor leagues. He made his major-league debut on May 29, 1995. The team assigned him jersey number two, the last single-digit number the Yankees hadn't retired.
Through 20 seasons, Jeter put together a resume worthy of Cooperstown and the Major League Baseball Hall of Fame. If there was an award to be won in the MLB, chances are Jeter won it at least once.
Over the course of his career, Jeter played in 14 All-Star games, won five Golden Gloves, won five World Series and was named the 2000 World Series' Most Valuable Player.
Jeter was the longest reigning New York Yankees captain, leading the team from 2003 to 2014. He ended his career as the club's all-time leader in at-bats with 11,195, runs scored with 1,923, doubles with 544, stolen bases with 358 and hits at 3,465, which is the sixth most in MLB history.
In the postseason, Jeter shone just as brightly. He ended his career in MLB history with the most postseason games played, as well as the most hits and runs.
Jeter's final season will perhaps be best remembered for his final at-bat in Yankee Stadium against the Baltimore Orioles. At the bottom of the ninth, the Yankees held the lead before blowing a three-run lead, which gave him a chance at bat. Next came the fairytale ending every player wishes for as the final word on their career: Jeter hit a game-winning walk-off single to give the Yankees a 6-5 win.
On Sunday, against the Boston Red Sox, Jeter hit a single that raised his career batting average from .309 to .310. That makes him one of only 13 players in MLB history with 3,000 hits and a .310 batting average.
The trip to Boston was just a formality for Jeter to end his career. It gave the Red Sox a chance to honor their rival in his last appearance at Fenway Park.
The next stop for Jeter will be the MLB Hall of Fame in 2020.
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