Derek Jeter the former captain of the New York Yankees, carved out legendary status as one of the game’s all-time greats. Mention his name to most people, and instinctively, one conjures up visions of clutch hits, great moments of success, and leadership that never falters. A decade since he hung up his cleats, Jeter remains firmly in place as one of the iconic faces of the game—along with an easy slide into a lead role calling games and analyzing action. During an episode of The Herd with Colin Cowherd, however, a laughable gaffe added a curveball to Derek Jeter’s media stops, proving that sometimes legends aren’t immune to silly misunderstandings.

The analogy used by Cowherd during the recent interview was an awkward moment: he said that Jeter had once faced Ryan in the batter’s box—a matchup that, again, never happened. Nolan Ryan retired in 1993, two years before Jeter’s big league career launched in 1995. He was immediately corrected by Jeter, whose quick wit turned the moment into an instant viral sensation. Let’s dive deeper to know more.

Colin Cowherd draws uncommon comparison between Derek Jeter and Nolan Ryan

Derek Jeter, composed on and off the field, couldn’t let Cowherd’s mistake go by. ”Hey, you know who else was an awesome pitcher? Nolan Ryan. Didn’t Jeter play against him?” Said Cowherd. Why was that in Cowherd’s mind? Nobody knows. Cowherd’s analogy took an amusingly wrong turn when he mistakenly suggested that Derek Jeter had once faced off at the plate with Ryan, who would perpetually outclass him—a matchup that never happened.

Derek Jeter, always known for his grace both on and off the field of play, could not let Cowherd’s mistake go unchecked. He replied with a chuckle: “No, no, no, no, no. Slow down. No. I was way after Nolan. Way, way after Nolan.”  

Nolan Ryan had retired in 1993, two years before Jeter’s Major League debut in 1995. These were some commanding facts that must have been considered before speaking in front of such a legend. The mistake was met with a quick correction from Derek Jeter, whose quip at the time turned it into an instant viral sensation. This quick correction punctuated the generation gap between Jeter and the all-time great pitcher, working to further underline Jeter’s skill at navigating awkward situations with grace and wit. The segment intended to focus on Paul Skenes; instead, it became a lighthearted moment in which Jeter proved relevant and likable. But that’s not all. However, Colin Cowherd was wrong—did two Hall of Famers’ careers only overlap by two seasons? Let’s find out more.

Derek Jeter wasn’t as far off from Nolan Ryan as he acted

Hall of Famer Nolan Ryan took the field in one of the greatest careers in the history of the MLB—from 1966 to 1993—winning a World Series and earning a whopping eight All-Star selections. During his 27 seasons in the MLB, Ryan compiled several records for the most all-time strikeouts. Derek Jeter, however, made his major league debut only in May 1995. Ryan was already in his eighth MLB season by the time Derek Jeter was born, in 1974.

Although Colin Cowherd was wrong, Derek Jeter had faced Ryan, and the two Hall of Famers were only two seasons apart. It was potentially squaring off. It was certainly not Cowherd’s first time being way off about baseball. There was also one incident where he got fact-checked live on air about trading draft picks for Shohei Ohtani last year. However, these moments also bring forth, in real-time, just how human sports commentary can be—times when even seasoned hosts make amusing errors.

What do you think about Derek Jeter’s reaction? Tell us in the comments.