New York Yankees’ Derek Jeter: Captain Clutch – Part 1
Derek Jeter is a tremendous player for the New York Yankees due to his consistent performances and ability to understand the situation of the game and help his team to victory.
Jeter was a phenomenal instrument in the New York Yankees’ stretch for the World Series after his rookie season in 1996. He not only put the competition to rest but he also silenced critics with good runs through the bases for important scoring opportunities.
His batting average was rising with each passing season and he was making a good name for himself in the squad.
1997 saw Jeter bat .291 and hit 10 home-runs and 1998 saw him bat a league leading .324 with 127 runs, 19 home-runs and 84 runs. Although he didn’t perform too well in the playoffs, hitting only .176, he batted very well in the World Series at .353 and the
Yankees eventually beat the San Diego Padres in four games.
His season totals for 1999 were very impressive with 37 doubles, 9 home-runs, a slugging percentage of .552 and an on-base percentage of .438, with this he led the American League with 219 hits and his batting average of .349 was the second highest in the
American League. Jeter batted .353 when the Yankees defeated the Atlanta Braves in the World Series Championship.
In 2000, Jeter didn’t perform too well in the Division Series by batting only .211 but quickly rebounded in the Championship Series against the Seattle Mariners where he batted .318. This was the same year where he became the only player to win the All-Star
Game MVP and the World Series MVP in the same year. He further went on to break the record of hitting a home-run in the All Star Game.
In 2001 he signed a lucrative deal with the Yankees where he would play with them for 10 years for $189 million. This made him the second highest paid athlete, coming after Alex Rodriguez.
2002 saw Jeter bat .297, scoring 18 home-runs with 75 runs batted in and124 runs scored. Along with that he had 191 hits and a career-best of 32 stolen bases. He had the best stolen base percentage of 91.4 that year.
Jeter missed 36 games in 2003 when he dislocated his left shoulder after he collided with Toronto Blue Jays’ Ken Huckaby. By the start of 2004, he was going downhill as he was hitting only .189, but things quickly turned around when he hit .400 for almost
a month and hit nine home-runs; a personal best. He finished the season with a .292 average and 23 home-runs.
During 2004 he batted in 78 runs and scored 111 along with 44 doubles which was a career best for him.
Jeter had proven himself as a great player and a tremendous leader for the New York Yankees. He was quickly climbing up the ranks as he began to accumulate brilliant performances for the team, especially in the postseason. His nicknames of Mr. November and
Captain Clutch are due to the fact that Jeter always manages to bring something extra during the postseason play for the Yankees. The Yankees had again managed to find a player that had the skills and abilities that they wanted to lead them into multiple Championships.
Continued in Part 2
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