THE 1 AND ONLY
... Player with 3,000 hits in a Yankees uniform: Derek Jeter
THE TIME
July 9, 2011
THE BACKGROUND
Jeter was always at his best when the pressure was on, as his .308 postseason batting average and .321 batting average in the World Series suggest. He was clutch, given the nickname “Mr. November” for his homer at 12:03 a.m. on Nov. 1, 2001, that won Game 4 of the World Series. One of the most memorable moments of his transcendent 20-year career was also the day he reached 3,000 hits.
THE SKINNY
Jeter singled off Rays lefty David Price in the first inning for hit No. 2,999, then in the third inning hit the ball over the left-field wall to become just the second player at the time to reach the milestone with a home run. Jeter’s fifth hit of the day, an RBI single in the eighth, gave the Yankees a 5-4 win.
THE OTHERS WHO CAME CLOSEST
Lou Gehrig (2,721), Joe DiMaggio (2,214) and Don Mattingly (2,153) would’ve been likely candidates had their careers not been shorted by illness (Gehrig), service in World War II (DiMaggio) or injury (Mattingly). Babe Ruth (2,518) would’ve been part of the exclusive club had he not spent the first six years of his career in Boston, predominantly as a pitcher.
THE QUOTE
“If I had tried to [write] it and given it to someone, I wouldn’t have bought it. It was one of those special days.’’ — Jeter
THE AFTERMATH
Jeter retired after the 2014 season with 3,465 career hits. He was voted into the Baseball Hall of Fame in 2020, receiving 396 of 397 possible votes (99.75 percent), the highest by a position player. He is now the CEO of the Marlins and owns a 4 percent stake in the team.
THE LEGACY
Jeter is one of the alltime greatest Yankees, a five-time World Series champion, MVP of the 2000 Subway World Series victory over the Mets, the 1996 AL Rookie of the Year, a 14-time All-Star and five-time Gold Glove winner. He finished his career as the Yankees’ all-time hits leader, ranking No. 1 in singles (2,595) doubles (544), games played (2,747) and stolen bases (358).
— Zach Braziller