‘One of the Greatest Honor I’ve Had’- Hall of Famer Derek Jeter Talked About What Becoming Captain of the New York Yankees Meant to Him

Even though Derek Jeter does not play the game anymore, his legacy both as a player and captain will live forever. Notably, getting the captain badge for the New York Yankees was a big honor for the former shortstop. And recently, while talking to the NFL legend Eli Manning, Jeter revealed what it meant to him to lead the Pinstripes.

Notably, in 2003, after winning four World Series for the team, Jeter was named the 11th official captain of the Bronx Bombers. And he remained the captain till he got retired in the year 2014. Since then, the position is still sitting empty. But what did it mean for Jeter to lead the Pinstripes for such a long time?

Derek Jeter on becoming the New York Yankees captain:

Talking about how it is not a title thrown around easily in the franchise, Derek Jeter named the Yankees Captains before him. Just before him, Don Mattingly was the Captain. And prior to that, there were the legends Lou Gehrig, Thurman Munson, and many more. So, one can easily say being the Yankees captain is nothing less than a big career achievement.

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He confessed what the late owner of the team, George Steinbrenner told him, “Don’t change anything. I want you to continue being who you are.” And that’s exactly what Jeter did. He added, “I continued to do the same thing. I wanted my teammates to respect me. I tried to lead by example. Being named the Captain, is still one of the greatest honors I’ve had in my career.”

When talking about Jeter’s captaincy, even though he was not the official captain of the team before 2003, Jeter had a huge influence on the Yankees clubhouse. Right from the start of his big league career, Jeter showed promising leadership skill for the Pinstripes. And eventually, he ended up becoming the official captain of the team for over a decade.

Jeter was a part of the Core 4!

The small club of the New York Yankees had Derek Jeter, Mariano Rivera, Jorge Posada, and Andy Pettitte. These four players got named ‘Core 4,’ because they together helped their team win four World Series in five years. 

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That is notably a big achievement. And Jeter, Posada, and Rivera became the only trio in MLB history that played for a franchise for sixteen consecutive years. 

Among the eleven Captains of the New York, who is your favorite? Let us know in the comments below.