Mark L. Baer-US Presswire
Two years ago, Derek Jeter‘s career was left for dead but he has now turned it around, putting together a season unlike any 38-year old before. The Yankees champ and has tied the great Willie Mays for 10th place on Major League Baseball’s all-time hit list. When Jeter signed a four-year/$51 million deal in the offseason prior to the 2011 season, many thought the New York Yankees were just giving the five-time world champion that type of deal because of everything he had done for them including a retire from baseball in pinstripes.
Now with that deal almost halfway through, Jeter is about to become the third oldest player in MLB history to record 200 hits in a season (behind Sam Rice and Paul Moliter, who were both 40 years old in the season that the feat was accomplished). On top of that, Jeter is now tied with the legendary Say Hey Kid with 3,283 career hits and it doesn’t seem like he is slowing down anytime soon.
Jeter’s RBI single to centerfield in the top of the seventh inning in New York’s 2-0 victory over the rival Boston Red Sox on Thursday placed him just 30 hits behind Eddie Collins for ninth place all-time. With 19 games left to play, Jeter has a very realistic chance of catching Collins before season’s end especially with the Yankees in a heated race with the Baltimore Orioles for the American League East division title and a postseason berth on the line.
Jeter now only trails the all-time hit king Pete Rose by 973 career hits and with signs of the Captain slowing down it is something that is honestly feasible. But first things first: let him get to ninth and see what happens from there. Either way, congratulations to Derek Jeter for placing himself in a category that only 10 other people in the 143 year history of Major League Baseball have been.
