Derek Jeter spent his entire 20-year MLB career with the New York Yankees. During this extensive career, Jeter won five World Series championships, World Series MVP in 2000, and appeared in fourteen All-Star Teams. Jeter received a good amount of credit for the Yankees’ dominance in the late 1990s and early 2000s.
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Understandable by his 20-year-long Yankee career, Jeter’s love for the Yankees has always been unconditional. The Yanks repaid the same love and respect by retiring his jersey and adding Jeter to Monument Park in 2017. By 2020, during the first year of his eligibility, MLB elected Derek Jeter to the Hall of Fame with 99.75% votes.
Derek Jeter – Much more than just a player
While numbers, achievements, and awards were pretty much always in Jeter’s favor, it’s not his numbers that made him “Legend” Derek Jeter. In fact, if anything, multiple players had better numbers than him, one being, Alex ‘A-Rod’ Rodriguez.
Jeter was never an aggressive hitter. He was the captain every New Yorker wanted to look at. Moreover, Jeter became popular for the culture he developed in the Yankees setup after being named their captain in 2003. Crediting his brilliant performances in the postseason and World Championships, he earned the title of “Mr. November.”
In a FANSIDED article, Wayne Cavadi talks about his love for Jeter. He said, “He (Derek Jeter) became the ambassador of a Yankees run that brought back Yankees pride. That arrogant, no-one-can-beat-us-and-we-are-going-to-tell-you-about-it Yankees pride.” Analogous to that, Jeter’s attitude fulfilled the attitude of every not-so-down-to-earth Yankee fan. Cavadi concluded by saying, “Derek Jeter loved being a New York Yankee, and he constantly reminded us of that. And we will all always love him for that.”
Is there anyone who doesn’t love Captain Jeter?
Across North America, as Jeter’s retirement day came close, his fanbase only increased. Multiple popular names from North America came to watch his final game, and very rightly so.
Jay-Z in the house to see the shortstop who made a Yankee hat more famous than a rapper can.
— Jack Curry (@JackCurryYES) September 25, 2014
Watching @jimmyfallon watch #2 at bat for the @Yankees Captain's last game in #NYC. Big cheers for Derek Jeter. ⚾️ pic.twitter.com/F0Q7EdNn1V
— Jen Bernstein (@nycjamgal) September 26, 2014
#RE2PECT with @LesliePlumlee pic.twitter.com/tcGtvkoPBi
— Mason Plumlee (@masonplumlee) September 26, 2014
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Derek Jeter’s long and successful career spread way beyond numbers. It was the attitude he carried on the field that made him so loved. Today, he goes down in history books as one of the greatest Yankees. What do you think about Derek Jeter’s Hall of Fame career?
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WATCH THIS STORY: New York Yankees Legend Derek Jeter Scripted The Perfect End To His Career With This Iconic Walk-off Single