A Fan's Letter To Derek Jeter

Derek Jeter's Surprising Rise to 3,000 Hits

Derek Jeter has his 3,000th hit, but it's surprising in retrospect that he got there before a pair of his contemporaries.

Derek Jeter And 3,000 Hits: What Usually Happens After The Milestone?

Derek Jeter is one of the youngest players to 3,000 hits. What happened to the other members of the 3,000-hit club in the seasons after reaching the milestone?

Where Does Derek Jeter Rank Among The All-Time Greats?

Derek Jeter Wraps 3,000th Hit Game By Going 5-For-5, Driving In Winning Run

The Yankees’ Derek Jeter could not have scripted the day of his 3,000th hit any better than it actually turned out.

In the eighth inning Saturday, Jeter singled up the middle, driving in Eduardo Nunez from third base with his second RBI of the day; it gave New York a 5-4 lead, which they held on to in the ninth inning for a much-needed win over the Tampa Bay Rays; Mariano Rivera posted his 22nd save.

Jeter finished the day with the home run for his 3,000th hit, three singles and a double and two runs scored. In doing so, posted only the second five-hit game by a player getting his 3,000th hit; Craig Biggio also got five hits the day he hit No. 3000. However, Biggio went 5-for-6 in that June 28, 2007 game, so Jeter stands alone as the only 3,000-hit player to go 5-for-5 on his milestone day. The only downside of his day — he was caught stealing after that eighth-inning single.

In addition, Jeter’s great performance is the first five-hit game in the two and a half year history of the new Yankee Stadium; quite a day for both the future Hall of Fame Yankee shortstop and the ballpark itself. 48,103 fans witnessed this landmark performance.

Fan Who Caught Derek Jeter's 3000th Hit Got Tickets As Gift From Girlfriend

Derek Jeter’s 3000th hit, a home run hit Saturday afternoon off the Rays’ David Price, nestled into the first row of the second set of left field seats at Yankee Stadium. Thanks to sportswriter Andy Vasquez of northjersey.com, we know a little bit about the identity of the man who caught the ball. Vasquez tweeted:

Christian Lopez, 23 of Highland Mills, N.Y., caught Jeter’s 3,000th hit/homer. Got tickets as a bd gift last month from his gf.

And, Vasquez later updated with more information:

Lopez, who was sitting in row 1 of section 236, with his girlfriend and father, was whisked away by security immediately after his catch.

YES Network reported during their telecast of the game that Lopez asked for nothing in return for giving the ball back to Jeter, but the Yankees gave him the following: front-row seats for Sunday's game, four tickets for every remaining game this season including any Yankees postseason games, and some autographed memorabilia. Nice gestures on both sides.

VIDEO: Derek Jeter Gets 3,000th Hit

Saturday afternoon at Yankee Stadium, Derek Jeter became the 28th member of the 3,000-Hit Club with a home run to left field off the Rays' David Price.

The home run tied the game 1-1, and in addition, Jeter became only the second player of the previous 28 to hit a home run for his landmark hit -- Wade Boggs, then with the Devil Rays, did that in 1999.

Jeter doesn't hit that many home runs, according to Darren Rovell:

Only 7.8% of Derek Jeter's hits have been for home runs. Only 3.9% of Wade Boggs' hits were home runs. Both hit one for 3000.

Also, the odds against Jeter hitting a roundtripper were fairly high:

Bodog's odds on Jeter hitting a home run for hit #3000 was 10 to 1. Only Triple (15 to 1) was higher.

Via MLB.com, here is video from YES Network of the historic event, Saturday, July 9, 2011, at Yankee Stadium.

Derek Jeter: One Of The Better Pure Hitters Baseball's Ever Seen

Today, Derek Jeter isn't what he was. But for so long he was a pure hitter, and one of the best pure hitters in baseball's long history.

Derek Jeter's 3000th Hit, Compared To His New Peers

Derek Jeter Gets 3000th Hit In Style: Home Run To Left Field

The New York Yankees’ Derek Jeter has become the 28th player in major league history to register 3,000 hits, and he did it by slamming a David Price curveball into the left field seats at Yankee Stadium in the top of the third inning Saturday afternoon.

In doing so, he became the second player to hit a home run for his 3,000th hit — Wade Boggs of the then Devil Rays did so in 1999 — and also became the 11th player to have 3,000 hits, all for one team.

Jeter was the second hitter to bat in the bottom of the third inning in Saturday’s game against the Rays; he took a ball, then a called strike, then another ball from Price. After a foul ball, Price threw a pitch outside the zone to run the count to 3-2. Jeter then fouled off two Price offerings before hitting the home run for the milestone hit.

It was the third home run of the season for Jeter and 237th of his career. And, also importantly for Yankee fans, it tied the game 1-1.

Derek Jeter's Quest For 3,000 Hits: One To Go

A packed house at Yankee Stadium Saturday afternoon was on its feet from the moment the late Bob Sheppard’s voice announced “Derek Jeter… Number Two” was leading off the bottom of the first inning for the Yankees against the Rays, under sunny skies.

Jeter took a called strike from Rays lefthander David Price, then ball one. Then followed a swing and miss, and Price then missed with a pair of fastballs to run the count to 3-2.

Jeter fouled off two more fastballs, and then bounced the eighth pitch of the at-bat between Rays third baseman Evan Longoria and shortstop Reid Brignac into left field for a clean single, the 2,999th hit of his major league career.

After Curtis Granderson popped up, the inning ended with Mark Teixeira hitting into a double play, and the game went scoreless into the second inning.

We’ll update this StoryStream™ further as Jeter has more at-bats in this afternoon’s contest.

Derek Jeter's Road To 3,000 Hits Detoured By Monsoon, Rays' Perfidy

Derek Jeter got five at-bats Thursday night against the Rays, but managed just one hit. He still seemed like a great bet to collect two more hits -- and reach 3,000, of course -- this weekend at home, but those plans have been dealt at least a glancing blow by Mother Nature, who Friday has sent to the Bronx thunderstorms that may well last throughout the evening.

Thus, Friday night's game has been canceled. A doubleheader could have been scheduled for Saturday, but the Rays -- in a move that's sure to be reviled in New York -- reportedly voted (as is their right) against playing two games in one day. So the Rays and Yankees will play only two more games before the All-Star break ... and after the All-Star break, the Yankees head to Toronto.

If Jeter's going to reach the magical number at home, he's got two games to get two hits. Which is certainly do-able, but the Yankees will be facing David Price on Saturday afternoon, and James Shields on Sunday. So this might be a close-run thing.

Derek Jeter: Countdown To 3,000 Hits Resumes Friday Evening

The New York Yankees' Derek Jeter stands two hits short of 3,000 for his career after going 1-for-5 in the team's Thursday night's 5-1 loss to the Tampa Bay Rays.

It appeared that Jeter was only going to get four at-bats Thursday; with two out in the bottom of the ninth, the Rays' Kyle Farnsworth struck out Brett Gardner to apparently close out the game for the Rays. But Farnsworth's pitch got away from Rays catcher John Jaso and Gardner reached base, bringing Jeter to the plate.

Jeter ran the count to 2-2 on Farnsworth before hitting a high chopper toward third baseman Sean Rodriguez, who made a nice throw to first baseman Casey Kotchman to get Jeter by about a step, not only denying him his 2,999th hit, but ending the game.

Friday night, the Yankees will again meet the Rays in the Bronx; Tampa Bay will send Jeremy Hellickson to the mound. In his career, Jeter has two at-bats against Hellickson with one hit, a single. The Rays will also be looking to close their deficit in the AL East; with New York's loss and the Red Sox win Thursday, Boston is now in first place, with the Yankees half a game behind and Tampa Bay 3.5 out.

Derek Jeter Records 2,998th Hit Early In Yankees-Rays

Derek Jeter moved ever closer to reaching the vaunted 3,000 hits mark in the first inning of the New York Yankees' Thursday night game against the Tampa Bay Rays. Jeter entered the series stuck at 2,997 hits.

The Yankee captain got this one out of the way early, leading off the bottom of the first inning by crushing a double to center field. With Jeter's mother and father in the stands, the New York faithful enthusiastically cheered the 37-year old as he rounded the base paths. In his next at-bat, Jeter grounded out to third base to end to second inning.

Following a long New York road trip, both Jeter and Yankee fans were delighted that the shortstop would have an opportunity to break the record within the friendly confines of Yankee Stadium. The Bronx Bombers have a four game home stand against Tampa Bay before heading back out onto the road for another eight game road trip.

Derek Jeter's Hunt For 3,000 Hits Shifts To New York For Series Against Rays

Derek Jeter couldn't reach 3,000 hits in his first series back from the DL against the Cleveland Indians, reaching 2,997 with a hit in his last game. That's actually good news for Jeter and New York Yankees fans, as he now has an excellent chance to achieve the feat at Yankee Stadium in front of his home fans, with the team starting a four-game home series against the Tampa Bay Rays on Thursday night.

Of course, this series isn't just about Jeter getting to 3,000 hits with the Rays sitting four games back of first place in the division, but the presence of meaningful baseball games won't keep the media from focusing on one man and his quest for a major milestone. Jeter will be facing some tough pitchers, but he gets off to as easy of a start as possible on Thursday night.

Jeter's best chance to put a dent in the three hits between him and baseball immortality will come on Thursday night when the Yankees face off against Jeff Nieman, who isn't having the best of years with a 5.05 ERA and a WHIP of 1.47. After that, things get considerably tougher with Jeremy Hellickson, David Price, and James Shields finishing out the series for the Rays. Hellickson is coming off of a complete game shutout, Price, though not terribly consistent, is a strikeout machine, and Shields has been the Rays' most consistent pitcher.

Derek Jeter's 3000th Hit: What Would You Do With The Ball?

Derek Jeter Now Within Three Hits Of 3,000 After Double Against Indians

Derek Jeter went 1-for-3 with a walk in the New York Yankees’ 5-3 loss to the Cleveland Indians on Wednesday, bringing him up to 2,997 hits for his career.

Jeter was one of the few Yankees to get to Indians starter Justin Masterson, who struck out six in eight innings and only allowed Jeter’s eighth-inning double and two other hits. All the Yankees’ damage came against reliever Vinnie Pestano, who faced three batters in the ninth and didn’t record an out. Chris Perez came on for the save.

Phil Hughes allowed two runs in five innings and took the loss for the Yankees. The Indians also added a seventh-inning homer by Lonnie Chisenhall off Boone Logan, and two eighth-inning runs off Sergio Mitre.

The Yankees begin a four-game home series against the Tampa Bay Rays on Thursday, so Jeter will have plenty of chances to pick up three more hits and celebrate No. 3,000 in front of a home crowd. After that, the Yankees will have eight road games, all against the Toronto Blue Jays or the Rays.

For more on the Yankees and Derek Jeter’s quest for 3,000 hits, visit SB Nation New York and Pinstripe Alley.

Derek Jeter In Yankees' Lineup Wednesday As He Chases 3,000th Hit

Derek Jeter will continue his pursuit of the 3,000th hit of his career Wednesday night, and he'll do it as part of the New York Yankees' starting lineup, ESPN New York reports. Jeter, who started at shortstop for the Yankees in the second game of their three-game series in Cleveland on Tuesday night, is recovering from an injury that sent him to the minor leagues for rehabilitation, and Yankees manager Joe Girardi was leaning toward sitting Jeter for Wednesday's game late Tuesday night.

That's apparently changed, and now Jeter will look to follow up his two-hit performance against the Indians on Tuesday with more climbing toward the 3,000 hit plateau. Jeter currently sits at 2,996 hits in his career.

Playing Jeter Wednesday night may give the Yankees and their fans a better chance of seeing their longtime shortstop and captain become the first player to reach 3,000 hits in a Yankees uniform at Yankee Stadium. The Yankees begin a four-game homestand against the Tampa Bay Rays on Thursday, and anticipation of Jeter making history has already spiked ticket prices.

For more on the Yankees and Derek Jeter's quest for 3,000 hits, visit SB Nation New York and Pinstripe Alley.

Derek Jeter To Have HBO Special On His Quest For 3,000 Hits

The Yankees’ Derek Jeter stands only four hits away from the 3,000 hit milestone as Wednesday’s action begins.

Today, we learn that this milestone is so important that the cable network HBO will be producing a one-hour special chronicling this magical quest for this noteworthy hit.

Never mind that Jeter is having by far the worst season of his career, hitting just .257/.320/.324 with an OPS+ of 75 — a level roughly equivalent to Juan Pierre — or that not one of the other 27 players who have reached this milestone, 21 of whom reached it during the era in which television existed, ever had such a documentary made.

No, Jeter is a Yankee, and so we shall be treated to this:

Interviews are scheduled to include an eclectic cast. Obviously, many of Jeter’s friends and teammates from the Yankees will be included, such as Mariano Rivera, Curtis Granderson, owner Hal Steinbrenner and former manager Joe Torre.

Interestingly, actor Billy Crystal and Jeter’s girlfriend Minka Kelly are also expected to be included, which might provide another reason or two to tune in.

It should not be lost that the link with the article about the documentary comes from NESN, the TV network of the Yankees’ biggest rival, the Red Sox.

Derek Jeter 2-for-6 In Second Game Back From DL, Pursuit Of 3,000 Hits Gains Steam

For the first time since June 13th, Derek Jeter made forward progress in his trek to 3,000 hits. Stuck at 2,994 for what seemed like a lifetime, the Yankee captain went 2-6 in New York's 9-2 Tuesday night victory over the Indians. The start was Jeter's second game back from the DL. He now sits at 2,996 hits, four away from the vaunted milestone.

Jeter got the drama out of the way early, leading off the top of the first by blasting a single of Cleveland Indians righthander Chris Carrasco. He followed that up by cracking a two-run double in the top of the second, Jeter's first RBI's since June 12th.

That would be all she wrote, however, as the next four at-bats would not be as kind to the pinstriped shortstop. Jeter struck out looking in the third inning, flied out to center in the fifth, grounded out to short in the seventh, and grounded out to third in the ninth. His average after the game raised one point, to .257.

The Yankees finish off their three-game set with the Indians on Wednesday night, before heading home to New York for a four-game series with Tampa Bay. For all intents and purposes, it seems likely that the Yankee-faithful will be able to witness Jeter completing his climb to one of baseball's greatest accomplishments within the comfortable confines of Yankee Stadium. 

Derek Jeter Goes 0-for-4 In Return From DL, Pursuit Of 3,000 Hits Still Stalled

Derek Jeter returned from a calf injury to play his first game since mid-June, but he didn’t move any closer to achieving 3,000 career hits. Jeter remains stuck on 2,994 after going 0-for-4 in the New York Yankees’ 6-3 loss to the Cleveland Indians Sunday.

In the first, Jeter reached on an error by the Indians’ Lonnie Chisenhall. He flied out to center field in the third and grounded out to third in the sixth. He lined out in the eighth inning.

Jeter’s production has slowed in the past couple of years, and he’s currently mired in perhaps the worst season of his career, with a .256 batting average, a .320 on-base percentage and a .320 slugging percentage. Still, assuming he stays healthy, fans won’t have to wait much longer for his 3,000th career hit.

The Yankees play two more games on the road against the Indians followed by four home games against the Rays before they head back on the road to play the Blue Jays. Yankees fans will hope that Jeter’s 3,000th hit comes during that Rays series.

Yankees' Derek Jeter Set For Monday Return To Lineup

On the 12th of June, Derek Jeter collected his 2,992nd and 2,993rd hits. On the 13th, Jeter collected No. 2,994 ... but he also suffered a strained calf, and has been on the DL ever since.

Until Monday night, that is. With the Yankees arriving in Cleveland for a three-game series against the Indians, Jeter -- the American League's starting shortstop in the All-Star Game, if he's healthy enough to play -- will come off the DL and take his accustomed position, just six hits away from 3,000.

You know Yankees fans will be rooting for Jeter in Cleveland ... but they might not be rooting too much, because after their three-game set in Cleveland the Yankees come home for four against the Rays, and you know everyone would like to see Jeter hit the milestone in the Bronx, before a sold-out house. Come to think of it, if Jeter happens to pick up a couple of hits Monday night and a couple more Tuesday night, Joe Girardi might well decide his shortstop could use a little rest on Wednesday...

Derek Jeter's Road To 3,000 Hits Speed Bump

Yes, it's still inevitable. But Derek Jeter's path to 3,000 hit a full stop Monday night against the Indians when he pulled up lame in the fifth inning with a sore calf. Jeter did collect a first-inning single for Hit No. 2994. He also grounded into a fielder's choice in the third, and flew out in the fifth, suffering the injury.

Tuesday night, the Yankees welcome the Texas Rangers in a three-game series and are scheduled to face Alexi Ogando, Derek Holland and C.J. Wilson. Ogando and Wilson have both been outstanding in 2011, but Jeter won't want to miss Holland, who's got a 4.41 ERA and has given up a .276 batting average to right-handed hitters this season. However, it looks like he might not have a choice. While Jeter's been initially listed as day-to-day with the calf injury, the Yankees are heading into a week of interleague games in National League parks, and won't want to be short-handed if Jeter's not able to play almost every day.

So now it looks like the big moment might be delayed for more than two weeks. If so, we'll postpone these daily updates until Captain November is back in the lineup.

Derek Jeter: Countdown To 3,000 Hits

So anyway, there's this shortstop named Derek Jeter who plays for this team called the New York Yankees, and this guy Jeter is going to collect his 3,000th hit pretty soon and some people seem to think it's kind of a big deal.

Well, it is a big deal. Around here, anyway. In the game's long, long history, only 27 players have collected 3,000 hits and all of them are (or will be, someday) in the Hall of Fame (yes, even Pete Rose and Rafael Palmeiro).

Entering Monday night's game against the Cleveland Indians, Jeter is just seven short of the magic mark. In that contest, he'll face Indians starting pitcher Carlos Carrasco. Next, the Yankees host the Texas Rangers in a three-game series and are scheduled to face Alexi Ogando, Derek Holland and C.J. Wilson.

Obviously, every Yankees fan -- not to mention Jeter himself, no doubt -- is hoping he'll reach 3,000 against the Rangers. But if not, he'll likely get there during the Yankees' weekend visit to Wrigley Field, a fine setting for a historic achievement.

Please watch this space for regular updates. And for much more about Derek Jeter and the Yankees, please visit Pinstripe Alley.