“I’ve Never Been So Scared..”: Derek Jeter Reveals How 3 Million Fans Triggered an Innate Fear After His First World Series Win

In the concrete jungle of New York City, where every block pulses with the rhythm of life, there is a tradition that can make the ground shake with the New York residents’ excitement. It’s the ticker parade, a spectacle so grand, it can bring the most bustling metropolis to a standstill.

For Derek Jeter, the first time he experienced this parade was after winning the 1996 World Series. The streets were overflowing with the energy of the city as if all of Manhattan had gathered to celebrate. The air was thick with confetti and ticker tapes raining down from the towering skyscrapers. Amidst the blizzard of colors and excitement, the Bronx Bombers were the heroes of the day.

Well, Derek has an interesting story to tell about that one particular fine day.

Derek Jeter had to ride the subway with “millions” of Yankee fans 

Picture this: it’s 1996, the Yankees have ended their 15-year title drought by winning the World Series and the streets are teeming with millions of fans, all eager to catch a glimpse of their beloved rookie Derek Jeter. And in the midst of it all, the young shortstop is about to embark on a journey that will test his nerves like never before.

You see, Jeter had never been much of a subway rider. In fact, he had only been on the train three times in his life. But it all changed when Jeter’s teammate Jim Leyritz offered to take him to the parade. And as it turns out, Leyritz had other plans. When Jeter showed up at his doorstep that morning, he was surprised to find that they would be taking the subway. And not just any subway – they would be riding with a hoard of Yankee fans, which was certainly daunting for the young Derek.

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This is how he narrated his journey in a recent GQ interview, “Wake up early in the morning, I say, “Where’s the car? Oh, we’re taking a cab, let’s take a cab.” He said, “no no no we’re getting on the subway” So we get on the subway with three million Yankee fans going to a ticker-tape parade. I’ve never been so scared before in my life. They were all gracious but that’s one of the last times I was on a subway.”

But how did their subway journey come to be?

According to prosportsrundown.com, the day was October 29, 1996. The location was Canyon Heroes, Lower Manhattan. No less than 1.5 million Yankee fans were lining the streets of the city. But Derek Jeter and Jimmy Leyritz had slept through their alarm clocks. When they woke up, they made a desperate bid to make it to the parade on time. They ran downstairs and hoped for a police escort.

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But fate is fickle, and due to road closures, they were unable to do so. The only option then left was to take the subway. But unlike Derek, who was daunted about the train ride, Leyritz, who “loved attention”, saw the whole situation as an adventure and was probably clutching their subway tickets with a wide grin.

Truly, who would not want to experience such an iconic train ride?