It’s been years since Derek Jeter was on Yankee Stadium infield with fans cheering him on. That all changed during his Hall of Fame ceremony.

Derek Jeter : Hall of Fame tribute | Ceremony | Stats

Derek Sanderson Jeter ( born June 26, 1974) is an American former professional baseball shortstop, businessman, and baseball executive.

Derek Jeter : Hall of Fame tribute | Ceremony | Stats

Born: June 26, 1974 (age 48)
Pequannock Township, New Jersey, US
Batted: Right
Threw: Right
MLB debut
        May 29, 1995, for the New York Yankees      

As a player, Jeter spent his entire 20-year Major League Baseball (MLB) career with the New York Yankees.

He was elected to the Baseball Hall of Fame in his first year of eligibility in 2020; he received 396 of 397 possible votes (99.75%), the second-highest percentage in MLB history (behind only teammate Mariano Rivera) and the highest by a position player.

He was the chief executive officer (CEO) and part owner of the league’s Miami Marlins from September 2017 to February 2022.

Hall of Fame tribute 

It’s been years since Derek Jeter was on the Yankee Stadium infield with screaming fans cheering him on. That all changed during his Hall of Fame tribute ceremony Friday night. 

Jeter was inducted into the Hall of Fame in September 2021, though he was elected in 2020. All but one baseball writer voted him in. 

Being back in the Bronx felt like home, Jeter said. 

Derek Jeter : Hall of Fame tribute | Ceremony | Stats

“As all you guys know, I was born in New Jersey. I grew up in Kalamazoo. I live now down in Miami. But, right here, in front of you, with you, is where I really feel like I’m at home,” he said.

Jeter was typically candid. And he thanked Hal Steinbrenner and the Steinbrenner family, though boos from fans followed. 

Jeter also caught up with fellow Hall of Famer Mariano Rivera, Jorge Posada, Andy Pettitte, Tino Martinez, CC Sabathia and Joe Torre, who there to honor The Captain. He was also surrounded by his family, including two of his three daughters.

Ceremony 

Derek Jeter and his family waved as they rolled at slow speed across the Yankee Stadium outfield on Friday evening, savoring every ounce of this long-awaited celebration to honor the Yankees captain’s entrance into the National Baseball Hall of Fame and Museum.

Jeter exited the motorized cart and set foot on the infield grass, gripping a podium near home plate and delivering remarks to a nostalgia-drenched house ready to roll the clock back to the dynasty years.

As he did, Jeter heard the familiar echoing chants of his name. He sensed that he was exactly where he belonged.

“I did miss the place. This is home for me,” Jeter said later. “I was here for 20 years, across the street and in this building. It’s 20 years where I played pretty much every day. This is where I feel most comfortable.”

And it is where the most recent Yankees Hall of Famer received a hero’s welcome, the only club for which he played rolling out a figurative red carpet to toast his 2020 selection (and pandemic-delayed 2021 induction) into the Cooperstown, N.Y., fraternity of the game’s greatest.

Derek Jeter stats

The Houston Astros held the first overall pick in the 1992 MLB draft. Hall of Fame pitcher Hal Newhouser, who worked for the Astros as a scout, evaluated Jeter extensively and lobbied team management to select him.

Derek Jeter : Hall of Fame tribute | Ceremony | Stats

MLB statistics
Batting average .310
Hits 3,465
Home runs 260
Runs batted in 1,311
Teams
  • New York Yankees (1995–2014)              

The Yankees, who selected sixth, also rated Jeter highly. Yankees scout Dick Groch, assigned to scout in the Midwest, watched Jeter participate in an all-star camp held at Western Michigan University.

Though Yankees officials were concerned that Jeter would attend college instead of signing a professional contract, Groch convinced them to select him, saying, “the only place Derek Jeter’s going is to Cooperstown.”

The second through fifth picks were Paul Shuey, B. J. Wallace, Jeffrey Hammonds, and Chad Mottola; those five would combine for two All-Star Game appearances (Nevin and Hammonds).

 The Yankees drafted Jeter, who chose to turn pro, signing for $800,000.

Jeter played four seasons in Minor League Baseball, formally known as the National Association of Professional Baseball Leagues (NAPBL).

Jeter began the 1992 season with the Gulf Coast Yankees of the Rookie-level Gulf Coast League, based in Tampa, Florida. In his first professional game, Jeter failed to get a hit in seven at-bats, going 0-for-7, while striking out five times.

Jeter continued to struggle during the rest of the season, batting .202 in 47 games.

Manager Gary Denbo benched Jeter in the season’s final game to ensure his average would not drop below .200, known in baseball as the Mendoza Line.

By Rishabh

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