The Yankees took a bold decision on the Opening Day of the 1996 season to have rookie Derek Jeter as a shortstop in their lineup. A first since 1962, it yielded dividend as Jeter hit a home run and went on to become the unanimous AL rookie that season, which is something that happened only five times in the past 50 years of the Major League.
Soon, Jeter emerged as the post-season hero, who fans fondly called Mr. November. He went on to become the Yankees’ longest-serving captain from 2003 to 2014. The Captain Clutch is returning to Yankee Stadium again!
Jeter has given a lot to the Yankees with best fielder performance for five seasons and catapulting their offense to the best level five times. Now it is time for the team and fans to give back. The Bronx is ready to celebrate his induction into the Baseball Hall of Fame with an unforgettable homecoming on Friday night.
The Yankees finally bring Jeter back home a year and a day after he was inducted into Cooperstown’s Hall of Fame. Jeter will be honored before the Yankees play the Rays.
Jeter’s whole path to the Hall of Fame seems like it has always been missing something. Because of the pandemic, his induction was put off for a year. The ceremony was quieter than usual because it took place six weeks later than usual. There was only one smart person, who didn’t vote for Jeter, out of 397 to prevent him from joining Mariano Rivera as a unanimous choice. Plus, until not too long ago, Jeter had another job: he was the manager of the Marlins.
And there were other things that kept Jeter away. In 2018, he missed the 20th-anniversary party for the 1998 race that won 125 races because he had to go to his daughter’s birthday party. He did come back a year earlier when his No. 2 was officially retired, but that was five years ago, and it feels like a lot longer than that.
So, the Stadium will be loud on Friday when Mr. November returns.
On Friday, people will say thank you to a homegrown star who took the city by storm when he was 21 and never let go until he was 40. He had 3,465 hits, hit .310 for his career, and won five championship rings, and he was always amazed that it all happened to him in Yankees pinstripes.
On Friday, the story will be about how baseball helped define a generation in New York, just like how DiMaggio, Babe Ruth, and Mickey Mantle’s lives did. Yogi Berra, who had been to Yankee Stadium many times, once said of Derek Jeter, “If he wasn’t a Yankee, I’d have to hate him, so I’m glad he’s a Yankee.”
On Friday, 50,000 people will say the same things that Yogi did. They will let their voices be the message, and it will flow out onto the field, over the top of the stadium, onto the four train platforms around the Bronx County Courthouse, and across the street to where the old Yankee Stadium used to be.
Jeter will get that part on Friday.
Friday will also be a big day for the kids who grew up copying Jeter’s batting stance and other habits. Most of these kids are now in their 30s and 40s, but they still want the number 2 for their softball league numbers. Most of them talk about Jeter in the same way that their fathers told them stories about Mantle and Joe DiMaggio.
DiMaggio visited Yankee Stadium one last time for Old-Timers’ Day, a venue he once owned. Middle-aged ex-ballplayers in uniforms were sweating, panting, and dreaming of cold beers.
DiMaggio always looked like he’d stepped out of GQ, with a perfect suit, tie, and no perspiration. He was asked if his appearances at the stadium, where he’s always introduced as “the greatest living ballplayer,” had grown more meaningful over time.
DiMaggio smiled.
“I’ve heard more cheers directed my way than one man deserves to hear in one lifetime,” he answered and continued, “It’s lovely, but it’s besides the point. It’s the people who seem to love to see me show up, come back here, say hello. This is for them, much more than it’s for me.”
Jeter has always made sure Yankees fans know he heard them. On the night of his number retirement, the ex-Yankee complimented the team’s fans as the greatest in the history of sports.
He won’t change his mind no matter what he hears Friday night. It will be great to see everyone again. For Jeter, sure. The same goes for everyone else in the house.
Where do you rank Derek Jeter among the great Yankees?
