BY Jay Strubberg
You simply can’t script it much better. In his final home game, Derek Jeter capped off his legendary career at Yankee Stadium with yet another highlight to add to his reel.
In the bottom of the 9th inning, with the score tied 5-5 against the Baltimore Orioles and a runner on second, the Yankees captain stepped up to the plate and smashed a line drive to right field to score the game-winning run — his eighth career walk-off hit for the Bronx bombers.
ESPN: “What’s going through your mind when you stepped up there?”
DEREK JETER: “Don’t cry is the first that’s going through my mind and then the second thing is to try and get a good pitch to hit. … Guess the ghost of Yankee Stadium showed up at least one more time.”
In a scene so eerily similar to past Yankees playoff victories, Jeter’s teammates, past and present, then stormed the field and celebrated the man who has carried the Yankees banner for two decades.
David Robertson was the Yankees pitcher who blew the save that ultimately gave Jeter the opportunity to be a hero in the 9th inning. He said, “Everyone in the dugout and the Stadium knew it was going to happen.”
Yankees Manager Joe Girardi, who also played with Jeter for many years, summed it simply, “You can’t even dream this stuff up.”
The usually even-keeled Jeter even admitted in the post-game press conference he battled emotions throughout the game and described the whole thing as a surreal experience.
DEREK JETER on NBC: “Couple of times I almost lost it. You know, the first inning I was saying, ‘Please don’t hit it to me.’ … I’ve lived a dream, ever since I was four or five years old.”
The 40-year-old veteran went 2-for-5 with three RBIs as he bid farewell to Yankee Stadium and has undoubtedly ended his home career with an exclamation point.
In his post-game interview, Jeter also said Thursday night was his last game playing defense at shortstop. He said he plans to finish off his career as the designated hitter for the Yankees’ final series in Boston over the weekend.
Jeter ends his career with five World Series rings and ranks sixth on the all-time hits list for Major League Baseball — every one of those championship rings and hits earned wearing pinstripes. (Video via Gatorade)
This video contains images from Getty Images / Al Bello, Elsa, Alex Trautwig, Mike Stobe.
