In honor of Captain Clutch turning a ripe age of 38, let us celebrate 38 reasons why baseball fans alike are completely and utterly in love with Derek Jeter.
38) 38=about 77 in baseball years & putting up numbers like he was a rookie again; another “Curious Case of Benjamin Button”-like story if you ask me
37) at age 37 he passed Rickey Henderson & now holds Yankees career stolen base record
36) gotta love his signature batting stance: how he watches every single pitch right into the glove, sticks his butt way out on any pitch slightly inside & holds his back arm up “halting” the umpire, letting him know he’s not set yet
35) fun fact: Jeter served as Jorge Posada’s best man in his wedding
34) his smooth way of fielding a ground ball to either side- gobles it up, jumps & throws to first all in one fluid motion in mid-air
33) holds .313 career batting average
32) he is & will always be remembered as a baseball icon- the face of not only the Yankees but of Major League Baseball
31) all-around Jeter: well-rounded athlete, even played AAU basketball against Chris Webber & Jalen Rose
30) respected by fans and players of all 30 MLB teams
29) made MLB debut May 29, 1995
28) cute family- gotta shoutout to his fam, always there supporting him: Dad-Charles, Mom- Dorothy & Sister- Sharlee
27) DSJ- Derek’s middle name is Sanderson
26) was chosen in the first round, 6th pick overall in ’92 amateur draft
25) has played in 2,497 total games with 10,174 plate appearances
24) 246 career homeruns
23) in 2003, Yankees named him 11th captain in franchise history, Yanks did not have a captain for 10 years before Jeter held position
22) his hunger to win at any cost & putting the team’s success before his own
21) in 2001, coined the nickname “Mr. November” for World Series Game 4 winning homerun
20) in 2000, won All-Star MVP, World Series MVP & Roberto Clemente Awards
19) he’s a Class Act- looks the part, acts classy & stays humble
18) # of seasons played with the Yankees
17) 17th player in MLB history with at least 1,800 runs scored
16) # of years his Turn 2 Foundation charity has been around
15) this April starting off scorching hot with 15 of his famous opposite field hits
14) 14th in MLB history on all-time hits list
13) it was in 13th inning of game in July 2004 vs. the Red Sox, when Jeter dove in to 3rd baseline stands to catch foul ball, busted up his handsome face to ensure a 5-4 win
12) 12-time All Star
11) #11 Chuck Knoblauch leading off in the 90s, with Jeter batting second, my favorite combo to brace the top of the lineup
10) this needs to be mentioned. the dude’s a 10. hes as hot as his BA 😉
9) in ’09 World Baseball Classic served as “El Capitan” of the US team
8) his amazing mixture of leadership, determination & composure
7) Lucky #7=amount of celebrity notable girlfriends: Mariah Carey, Lara Dutta, Joy Enriquez, Jordana Brewster, Vanessa Minillo, Jessica Biel & Minka Kelly (’bout time to settle down Jetes…)
6) ’96 Rookie of the Year
5) 5-time World Series Champion & total # of Golden Glove Awards
4) # of Silver Slugger Awards
3) 3,000 hits & counting milestone: holds Yanks hits record
2) “Now batting for the Yankees…the shortstop…number 2…Derek Je-tah…number 2…” (we’ll never forget, Bob Shepard); jersey # will go down in history
1) My favorite Jeter play, maybe the best play you will ever see as far as pure instinct, in ’01: incredible out-of-nowhere backhanded flip play to tag Giambi out at home during Game 3 of ALDS in 2001, talk about “coming outta left field”, was playing deep at shortstop, thinking ahead of time, runs over to the first base line to be relay man for a dribble throw that would not have made it to the plate on time…this play still drops my jaw in awe every time I rewatch it!
HAPPY 38TH BIRTHDAY, DEREK!