On the same day that possibly the greatest American athlete of all-time takes his place in the Hall of Fame, another icon makes his mark. Derek Jeter, who entered Friday’s game tied with Lou Gehrig for the Yankees franchise hits record, now holds this distinction for himself.
With no outs in the bottom of the third, in front of a sold-out Yankee Stadium crowd, Jeter used his trademark inside-out swing to single down the right field line, etching his place in sports history. The hit was his 2,722 overall, and came off of Baltimore rookie Chris Tillman, who respectfully nodded at Jeter in a sign of respect.
After the hit, the team mobbed Derek at first base, similar in a style of a walk-off win. Mariano Rivera, who has been Jeter’s teammate since 1995, embraced the captain more than any other teammate. The crowd applauded, despite rainy and dreary weather, an ovation that lasted almost three minutes.
It should be interesting to note that at this exact age (35 years and 77 days), Derek Jeter has more hits, runs scored, and a better batting average than MLB career hits leader Pete Rose. Rose finished with 4,256 hits by age 45.
Despite the inclement weather, the game became official at 10:24 PM EST, thus solidifying Jeter’s place in baseball history.
Photo Source: Getty Images
