Derek Jeter Has Never Followed a Script

Derek Jeter has always been at his best during his 20 season career when he improvised in a situation, usually a big situation. Jeter was never one to follow a script and always did things his own way. Just look at his final game in New York as the Yankees were leading 5-2 heading into the 9^th inning with one of the best closers in the game on the mound in David Robertson. Three runs and a blown save later Jeter was up to bat with a runner in scoring position in the bottom of the 9^th.

Jeter had not collected a walk off hit in over seven years before that walk off single in his final Yankee Stadium at bat as the Yankees won the game by the score of 6-5. This was just one of many instances where Jeter’s intangibles and “head in the moment” mentality and flare for the dramatic took center stage. Jeter is best known for “The Flip,” his “Mr. November” home run, the Jeffrey Maier home run, the leadoff home run in Game 4 of the 2000 World Series, the dive into the stands in July, 2004, the 3,000 hit (with an exclamation point as Michael Kay was recorded saying), and other magical moments that I could list for another 10 or so pages if I wanted to.

What will Jeter do next? Obviously besides the Player’s Tribune blog he has started nobody knows and that’s probably for the best. Derek Jeter doesn’t like to follow a script.