“Now batting for the Yankees, number 2, Derek Jeter. Number 2.”
A recording of former announcer Bob Sheppard’s voice echoed through Yankee Stadium on Thursday night, but with 48,613 roaring fans, you could have hardly heard a jet.
Derek Jeter, one of the greatest players to ever stop onto a baseball field, was making his way into the batter’s box.
With a runner at first and nobody out, the Yankees already trailing the Baltimore Orioles 2-0 in the first inning, and the all the Yankee fans dying for a base-hit, Jeter knew he had to deliver.
And on a 3-1 count, he did.
A deep drive RBI double to left (Jeter just missed a home run) cut the deficit to 2-1, and the New York crowd was going insane.
But the cheers, of course, had nothing to do with the score of the game.
With the Yankees already eliminated from playoff contention, the final score hardly mattered.
This was a special occasion for a very different reason: Jeter, who had served as the Yankee shortstop since 1996, was playing his final game at Yankee Stadium.
The 14-time All-Star helped lead the Yankees to five world series titles, and had gotten additional awards for World Series MVP, AL Rookie of the Year, and had been awarded both the Gold Glove and the Silver Slugger award five times.
More than anything, however, his incredible hard-work, fan appreciation, and love for the game always made him one of the most likeable players in the major leagues.
A good portion of Yankees fans have never seen an era without Jeter at shortstop, so when Derek delivered that double, it was quite understandable that emotions were high.
Even I, never a fan of the Yankees and over 700 miles away from the ballpark, couldn’t help but smile when I saw the hit.
Thinking I had seen the greatest Jeter highlight of the night, I eventually turned off the game and went to go prepare for Thursday Night Football between the Giants and Redskins.
And this is where I have to give a thank you note to Eli Manning, the quarterback of the Giants. If New York wasn’t blowing out Washington at halftime, I might not have decided to go back to watching the Yankees game.
I might not have seen one of the greatest sports moments in recent memory.
I tuned in right when Jeter was “almost certainly” taking the field for the last time at Yankee Stadium.
It was the top of the ninth inning, and New York held a rather comfortable 5-2 lead.
At this point, believe it or not, I was trying to figure out the odds of Jeter taking another at-bat in this game.
The Orioles would need to score at least three runs, and while I really wanted to see another Jeter home at-bat and a potentially crazy finish, I had accepted the fact that this was it.
But on that night, Baltimore was not done.
With one out in the inning, Adam Jones drilled a two run homer to left , and with two outs, Steve Pearce hit a solo shot to left.
All of a sudden, I could not believe my eyes: we had a tied ballgame.
When I found out that Derek Jeter would bat third in the bottom half of the ninth inning, my head bubbled with crazy scenarios.
And when Jose Pirela singled to lead off the bottom frame and Brett Gardner put him into scoring position with a sacrifice, I truly felt like I was in some live baseball movie.
The plot was set.
Jeter, wearing a home white Yankee uniform with navy blue pin stripes, and a “Number 2” badge to honor his name, stepped up to the plate.
And we all knew what would happen next.
A sharp ground ball to right, an RBI single, a walk off victory for the Yankees, a white and navy-blue sea full of cheers so energetic you could feel them through the TV, and an undescribably magical moment to cap off an incredible career.
Derek Jeter had brought the excitement of October baseball into September, and though I could not focus on football for the rest of the night, I felt privileged just to see it live.
Nothing but respect for Jeter and the organization, and I will never forget where I was or what I was doing on a night like yesterday.
Farewell Captain.
Jacob's Sports Talk 