They don't call Derek Jeter "Captain Clutch" for nothing.
Jeter, who has always had a flare for the dramatics, said farewell to Yankee Stadium on Thursday night with a walk-off single to drive in the
winning run in the bottom of the 9th inning. The Yankees beat the Baltimore Orioles, 6-5. An elated Jeter jumped and raised both arms between first and second.
After he was mobbed on the field by his teammates, he stood in the
middle of the field and tipped his cap to the fans he has played in
front of the last 20 season.
"It was above and beyond anything that I've ever dreamt of," Jeter said on the field immediately after the game.
"This was a lot of fun. Thank you. Most importantly, I'm going to miss the fans," Jeter added.
Jeter finished the game with two hits, including a first inning double
that nearly left the park for a home run. Jeter also drove in three
runs, including the game winner.
The game was not without drama. The Yankees had a 5-2 lead going into
ninth inning, and Jeter made his way to shortstop already driving in two
runs. It was good, but Jeter wasn't done yet. As if it was planned all
along, Yankees closer David Robertson gave up two home runs to tie the
game at five. That sent the game to the bottom of the ninth inning,
where Jeter was due up third in the inning.
In the bottom of the ninth, Fans continued to serenade Jeter, hoping he
could pull off one more clutch performance. With a man on second base
and one out, Jeter strolled to the plate with a chance to write the
perfect ending to his storied career in pinstripes. Jeter hit a sharp,
opposite-field single to right that knocked in the winning run.
After celebrating with his teammates, Jeter went back out to shortstop,
crouched down at the edge of the outfield grass and bounced on his toes a
couple of times before rejoining the group.
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