Jeter makes his mark in Cooperstown

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Jeter holds a number of records including the most postseason games played at 158 games.

Morgan Sandness, Sports Editor

188 miles away from 20 years of history, Derek Jeter has forever made his mark in history. 14 months after scheduled, the 2020 Baseball Hall of Fame inductee has finally gotten to hang up his name in Cooperstown, N.Y.

On Wednesday, Sept. 8, Jeter put his final stamp on his 20-year career as he was finally inducted into the Baseball Hall of Fame. His 1,055 second long speech recapped his career as well as thanking many who helped him get to where he was. He received 396 of 397 votes to be inducted. He thanked everyone who voted for him in his speech but jokingly called out the one person who did not. 

Jeter was born in Kalamazoo, Mich. His only dream was to be a shortstop for the New York Yankees. He was drafted by the Yankees in 1992 and played his first major league game at the beginning of the 1995 season. In his career, he won five world championships, Rookie of the Year, five Gold Gloves, five Silver Slugger awards and 14 All-Star commendations. He was also named World Series MVP and All-Star game MVP in 2000. Jeter retired with a batting average of .310 driving in 1,311 runs. 

“I had one goal during my career, and that was to win more than everyone else,” said Jeter is his speech. “And we did.”

Throughout the 20 years of his career, Jeter has had many remarkable plays, including “The Flip,” “The Dive,” “Mr. November” and his 3,000 hit. Jeter was most well known for his work ethic, the way he played every game like it was his last and the way he made everyone feel important. 

“You know this is a game that requires sacrifice, dedication, discipline, and focus. It is a game of failure, it teaches you teamwork, it teaches you humility. The one common thread with all of us here on stage is that we understand that there is no individual bigger than the game. So take care of it, respect it, don’t take the time you have to play for granted,” said Jeter. 

As one-fourth of the Core 4, the 24th man inducted as a Yankee and one of the greatest shortstops to ever play baseball, the number two jersey will be worn in Yankees Stadium for years to come and forever be known in Cooperstown.