Derek Jeter captivated the game | Derek Jeter yankees captian
Jeter captivated the game yesterday by becoming the 28th player in history to reach 3,000 hits, and he did it in style, smacking a home run as part of a 5-for-5 afternoon that left even the rival Red Sox effusive in their admiration of the Yankees captain.
“He’s been one of the true statesmen of the game,” Red Sox closer Jonathan Papelbon [stats] said. “He plays the game the right way. For this season and this year, it’s one of the high points of Major League Baseball.”
Jeter’s pursuit of 3,000 has been the talk of baseball since spring training, with the future Hall of Famer enduring some criticism in New York for not performing up to his standards.
Yesterday he was electric, singling in his first at-bat against Rays starter David Price, and then ripping a 3-2 curveball deep into the left field seats off the All-Star left-hander.
“I didn’t realize he was the only Yankee to get 3,000 hits with all the great guys that have come through there,” Papelbon said. “Even more, to hit a home run was a surprise to me, and how deep he hit it.
“To me, he’s usually a table-setter. He’s not known as a home run hitter. He does such a good job of being a contact hitter. I’m sitting in the training room and he hits a bomb that deep for his 3,000th. That’s pretty impressive.”
Red Sox manager Terry Francona first crossed paths with Jeter when the latter was about 19 and playing in the Arizona Fall League.
“He’s still the same kid,” Francona said. “A little different haircut, but always plays the game right, always treats people right, and he tries to beat your brains out. That’s a good way to go about things. I don’t care how long it takes. That’s an unbelievable accomplishment. I appreciate the way he respects the game a lot.”
Francona respects Jeter so much, one of his great regrets remains the fact that Jeter somehow didn’t make the 2005 All-Star team, which Francona managed.
“I actually tracked him down here in Boston,” Francona said. “We went out to the tunnel and I told him, ‘I’ve been wanting to do this for a long time, and the fact that you’re not on the team is upsetting to me.’ I just wanted him to know I cared. He’s always polite. He’s never not polite. If you like baseball, he’s a lot of what’s good in baseball. He respects the game. He plays the game right. He makes me proud for the way he goes about his business.”
If there’s a Red Sox player who feels a particular kinship with Jeter, it’s catcher Jason Varitek [stats]. The two captains whose intangibles are considered off the charts have been foes since the day Varitek made his big league debut in 1997.
“He’s pretty much been a superstar since Day 1 that I’ve been in this uniform playing against him,” Varitek said. “He’s carried himself that way, he’s played that way. There’s a reason he’s got 3,000 hits.
“For anyone, that’s a fabulous feat. To be a part of it and he’s still your generation of players, that’s neat. That’s been a great part of my career, our head-to-head battles with that organization. There have been hundreds and hundreds of games. It’s been pretty fun.”
Varitek then paid Jeter the ultimate compliment, saying simply: “He’s a true champion.”
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