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Derek Jeter’s defining moments

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  • When Yankees shortstop Tony Fernandez was put on the disabled list, Jeter was called up from the minor leagues. In his second game, he got two hits and scored his first major-league run. Baseball America rated Jeter the sixth-best prospect in baseball, and manager Joe Torre insisted he would be the team's starting shortstop going into the 1996 season.
    Photo Credit: Newsday/Paul J. Bereswill
  • Jeter helped the Yankees bounce back from a disappointing 1997 season as the team won a franchise-record 114 games. He made his first appearance in the All-Star Game and led the American League in runs scored with 127. He batted .353 in the World Series, and the Yanks swept the San Diego Padres in four games.
    Photo Credit: Newsday/Audrey C. Tiernan
  • The fall of 2001 was a trying time for New Yorkers and the entire nation, and the Yankees' championship race gave the city something to cheer for again. The Arizona Diamondbacks won the World Series in the end, but the energy at Yankee Stadium was unforgettable. Known for thriving under pressure, Jeter hit a walk-off home run in the bottom of the 10th inning of Game 4, giving the Yankees a win in the first MLB game ever completed in November and earning himself the nickname
    Photo Credit: Newsday/John Keating
  • After getting 191 hits for the second straight season in 2002 and continuing to distinguish himself as a leader on and off the field, the Yankees named Jeter their captain. He was just the 11th captain in the history of the Yankees, and the first since Don Mattingly retired eight years before. He suffered a shoulder injury on Opening Day 2003 and missed the first six weeks of the season, but he didn't waste any time upon his return, nabbing 29 hits in his first 23 games. After a come-from-behind win against their rival Boston Red Sox, the Yankees advanced to the World Series but lost to the Florida Marlins that year.
    Photo Credit: Newsday/Jiro Ose
  • Jeter's prowess in the infield won him the Gold Glove Award for three straight seasons from 2004 to 2006, which he rounded out with a Silver Slugger Award in 2006 for being the best offensive shortstop in the league. The Yankees did not capture any World Series championships in that time, but they did keep up a nine-year streak of division titles.
    Photo Credit: Newsday/David L. Pokress
  • The final season ever played in the old Yankee Stadium,
    Photo Credit: Newsday/David L. Pokress
  • Fans went wild as Jeter chased 3,000 hits in the summer of 2011, and the captain reached the milestone with his signature flair. Jeter went into the game against the Tampa Bay Rays two hits short, started with a lead-off single, and in his next at-bat crushed a home run off of David Price, making him only the second player in history to hit 3,000 in such grand fashion. He had three more hits after that, going 5-for-5 and batting in the go-ahead RBI in the Yankees' win.
    Photo Credit: Jim McIsaac
  • retired Jeter’s No. 2 in Monument Park during an emotional ceremony at Yankee Stadium on May 14, 2017. “I say this very humbly, that there isn’t a person or player I would trade places with that’s playing now or ever,” Jeter said during his retirement speech. “And the reason why I say that is because I got a chance to play for a first-class organization and in front of the greatest fans in the history of sports.” Jeter’s wife, Hannah, his mother, Dorothy, and sister, Sharlee, joined him on the field during the ceremony. ” data-id=”113764726″ data-link=”https://amnewyork.wpengine.com/wp-content/uploads/2019/10/25604_image.jpg” class=”wp-image-1.13764726″/>
    Photo Credit: Getty Images / Jim McIsaac

From a high school shortstop whose life-long dream came true when he was drafted by the New York Yankees, to a 13-time All-Star and five-time World Series champion revered as captain to the winningest team in baseball, Derek Jeter’s career is one for the ages.

It hasn’t all been a fairy tale, though. Here’s a look at his best and worst moments in pinstripes.

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