Drafted at only 20 years old, Derek Jeter has been a New York Yankee for the past twenty years. Jeter was drafted by the Yankees from his high school in Kalamazoo, Michigan and debuted as a Yankee shortstop in 1995. That year he won Rookie of the Year and assisted the Yankees in winning the 1996 World Series. After winning both All-Star Game MVP and World Series MVP Awards in 2000, Jeter was appointed captain of the Yankees in 2003.
Jeter has since been the face of the Yankees as he has assisted in their past five World Series Championship titles. Jeter is one of the only five Yankee captains who spent their whole careers with the Yankees. Jeter is also the longest reigning captain of the Yankees, just having finished his 12th season as captain. So, as his final season began, you can imagine the heartache that Yankees fans were feeling.
During one of his last games against the Blue Jays game on September 20th, every single time Jeter went up to bat, the whole stadium stood up to cheer. Shouting and chanting his name, the everyone in the stadium wanted Jeter to hit a home run. Though I wasn’t able to go to other games this season, I can image that Yankees fans were giving Jeter the same praise during the whole season.
According to Daily News, tickets for his last game were sold for $11,000 on the secondary market. During Jeter’s last home game on September 25th against the Orioles at Yankee Stadium, the crowd went wild, chanting in perfect unison for Derek Jeter. Jeter was visibly emotional but very focused at the same time. At the bottom of the ninth inning with a score of 5-5, the Yankees had a chance to either win the game in the final inning or go into overtime, giving the Orioles more opportunities to score. With Antoan Richardson on second base, Jeter hit a single, sending Richardson home, and winning the game.
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After his team congratulated him, Jeter took a lap around the stadium as the crowd gave him a standing ovation.
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Jeter’s victories go far beyond those as a Yankee – Jeter started a charity called Turn 2 in 1996. Turn 2 was established to help teenagers avoid drug and alcohol addiction and “turn 2” healthy lifestyles. Jeter is loved by more than just Yankee fans because of his legacy both on and off the diamond. During his last series of away games at Fenway Park, even the rival Red Sox fans were cheering for Jeter. Even Gatorade made a special commercial for Jeter, which can easily bring tears to the eyes of fans.
http://youtu.be/xfgS1lvqX8I
So, as Derek Jeter starts a new chapter in his life, the Yankees will also be turning over a new leaf. The departure of Derek Jeter truly symbolizes the end of an era for the New York Yankees, their fans, and the entire baseball community.