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.