Jeter Delivers in Clutch. Again.
Derek Jeter will forever be remembered by his nicknames The Captain and Mr. November, but even if there were no catchy monikers attached to the Yankees shortstop great, he will fill fans memory banks for decades to come with countless moments of clutch plays. Jeter added another terrific pressure-packed performance to his resume Sunday night when he calmly and coolly thanked George Steinbrenner, the Yankees organization, his former teammates and the fans in an unscripted speech.
For me, there are two moments that will forever define what made Derek Jeter great. First, not only did he get his 3,000th hit with a home run off then-Rays ace David Price, but he finished that game 5-5 with the go-ahead and eventual game-winning RBI single in the bottom of the 8th inning. Second, in his final career at-bat at Yankee Stadium, Jeter won the game with a walk-off RBI single to right field against the Orioles. I mean, come on. Final at-bat ever in the Bronx and Jeter pulls that off? It's the stuff of dream endings.
For the fans who want to debate whether Derek Jeter is a Hall of Famer or one of the game's all-time greats (maybe they're one in the same), please do us all a favor and save the oxygen you're wasting for much more realistic arguments.