Derek Jeter ended his 20-season career with the New York Yankees last Thursday night at Yankee Stadium.
Jeter has always been an exciting player to watch for many years, and of course, he ended his last game in dramatic fashion. In his final at-bat at home, Jeter hit a walk-off single to seal the win for the Yankees.
Derek Jeter went out to his shortstop position on the field to bid his home field and fans farewell. He took the moment in and squatted down and looked to both sides of the position he’s dominated for two decades. He said the view was one of the main things he wanted to take from that day.
“Man 50,000 people,” Jeter said. “I’ve never been an actor on Broadway, but it feels like you’re on a stage when you play at Yankee Stadium. And that’s the feeling I’ve always had. And to have everyone standing and cheering for you, saying ‘thank you,’ I never wanted to play another game there.”
His final game was last Sunday at Boston’s Fenway Park where a pregame ceremony took place honoring the retiring captain. The send-off he received from their fans was something he never imagined.
“I’ve had them stand and say some things, but there was never an ovation,” Jeter laughed. He also received quite a few retirement gifts from other teams.
Derek Jeter hit an RBI single in the final at-bat of his career at Fenway, which raised his career batting average to .310.
A new outlook was one of the main things he was looking forward to about his retirement. At 40-years-old, Jeter was always looked at as the old baseball player.
“You know it’s funny because someone had mentioned to me, I went from an old man in baseball to a young man in life,” he said. “And I like how that sounded. So I consider myself young again.”
There is one thing that many people have admired Jeter for other than his excellent play on the field, and that is how he never was involved with anything embarrassing off the field. He is a role model to baseball players and athletes around the world. The superstar shortstop said it was never easy in this market.
“I’ve been lucky I guess,” he said. “I always have tried to treat people with respect, the way I want to be treated. I’ve always been very cautious with what I do. You know, that started at a young age. I always had the approach or the mentality I never wanted to embarrass my parents.”
Derek Jeter is more than ready for the second part of his life. In fact, he already has retirement plans. He has launched Jeter Publishing, his imprint with Simon & Schuster and The Player’s Tribune, a publishing portal where athletes will be able to share their stories without having to deal with reporters.
He has been spotted taking advantage of his free time with a casual date with his model girlfriend, Hannah Davis. Jeter is looking forward to what life has to bring him now that baseball is on the back burner. He is excited about the free time he will have to think of having a family one day.
With retirement, some athletes often regret their decision and decide to come back. Derek Jeter is very confident in his decision. Who wouldn’t want to end their career with a walk-off on their home field in front of thousands of adoring fans?
“I’ll miss it, but I won’t play again. I’ve played my last game. That’s 100%” he said.
Derek Jeter carries himself like any professional baseball player or athlete should. He will be remembered as a champion, idol, hero, and legend all in one. Yankees fans will always love their Captain as will Major League Baseball as a whole.
