You Just Cant Make This Stuff Up! As if scripted by some legendary baseball scribe; Derek Jeter ended his 20-year career tonight, his last game wearing the Yankees fabled pinstripe jersey - playing the final home game before a packed-to-capacity Yankee Stadium crowd. Even Mother Nature, herself, seemed to be in on this final chapter; relenting from earlier dire predictions of rain, threatening to spoil the script. That just wasnt enough drama for the night, though - or for the man whose #2 jersey seemed everywhere in the park,...worn or displayed by grateful fans, thousands of whom he thrilled with his many successes,...and the five World Championships he helped bring home to New York, while being an example of sportsmanship on the field - and admirable citizenship on the toughest stage in sports, New York City. He stepped to the plate in the bottom of the first inning, with the Yankees trailing 2-0 to the playoff bound Orioles. With a runner on 2nd base, he smashed a stinging double that nearly left the park, bounding off the base of the outfield wall in left-center field,...knocking in the first Yankee run of the evening, later scoring the 2nd run to tie the game. But wait, theres more. In the bottom of the 7th, with the bases loaded and one out, he hit a tough grounder to short. He reached base, when the throw to 2nd went amiss, but - even had it been fielded cleanly - he still would have stayed out of the double-play, reached base and been credited with the go-ahead 3rd run for the Yankees. Throughout the evening - amid chants of DEREK!,...JETER!; DEREK!...JETER! - the MLB Network coverage included many interviews with notable players and managers, who have had the rare privilege of playing with the Yankee Captain over the years. The energy was electric! Then there was the 9th-inning, when there was speculation that Manager Joe Girardi - with the Yankees leading 5-2 by then - would have Jeter take the field and then, replace him at shortstop - to a certain, extended, roaring ovation by the crowd,...now mostly standing in anticipation. THIS is when the REAL storybook ending occurred! Yankee starting pitcher, Hiroki Kuroda, who had settled down; after allowing the first two Oriole batters of the game to tag him for solo homers, but allowing only one more hit and no walks through the 8th - was replaced by usually reliable Yankee closer, David Robertson. Robertson was not in good form, however, giving up a two-run homer and then, a solo shot - to allow the Orioles to tie the score! Since Jeter had not been taken out of the game, he was due to bat third in the bottom of the 9th. The lead off batter (a young prospect) quickly smashed a single past 3rd base and was promptly replaced by a faster pinch runner. Next up was the speedy Yankee centerfielder, Brett Gardner, who delivered a near-perfect bunt - to advance the runner into scoring position at 2nd base. Then Jeter stepped up to the plate. It would be his final At Bat in Yankee Pinstripes, as the team was eliminated from playoff contention the day before...only the 2nd game in Jeters 2,745 regular season career games, that had no postseason significance! You just cant make this stuff up. Jeter promptly hit a sharp grounder past the diving Oriole 2nd baseman, the runner on second base hustling around third to beat the throw from right field and score the winning run, as Jeter rounded first and lept for joy, while the 49,000 baseball fans went wild! No. You just cant make this stuff up!
Posted on: Fri, 26 Sep 2014 03:36:46 +0000
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