Jeter Says Goodbye

#RE2PECT. Everybody has seen that hashtag trending through every social media app known to man. It was to honor the career of one of the greatest players of all time. He has been one of the most known athletes in our generation, and for good reason. In his historic 20 year career, Jeter racked up 3,465 hits, ranking him sixth all time. He made it to 14 All Star Games, and to top it off, he has won 5 World Series with one of the most historic franchises in the history of sports. Also, Jeter has always had the flare for the dramatic. In his last ever game putting on the pinstripes, he hit a double off the wall in the first inning, and in the bottom of the ninth, with the Yankees tied with the Orioles, he hit a single to right field to win the game.

Then on September 28, 2014, Derek Jeter said goodbye to baseball. The Yankees paid a visit to Fenway Park to play the Boston Red Sox. Before the game, the Red Sox had an amazing ceremony for Jeter. They sent out all of the Red Sox living captains, the Red Sox active team, Boston sports legends Paul Pierce, Bobby Orr, and Troy Brown, and lastly, Pete Frates, the man behind the ALS Ice Bucket Challenge. They gave Jeter gifts such as a piece of the scoreboard that read RE2PECT signed by the Red Sox, a base from the field, and a $22,222.22 check to Jeter’s Turn 2 Foundation. Then, the game started. In Jeter’s first at bat, he rocketed a ball to shortstop, but was robbed by a leaping catch. Then in the third inning, with Ichiro Suzuki on third base, Jeter bounced a high groundball to the third basemen, who leaped but it hit off his hand, and Jeter reached first on an infield single. That ended up being Jeter’s last ever time on the field. Jeter was replaced by pinch runner Brian McCann, and Jeter left to a standing ovation. It was a very emotional moment, and Jeter on that day, said goodbye to the game for good.