Derek Jeter's place among baseball's all-time greats is up for debate, as a large swath of baseball observers insist he's one of the game's more overrated players in the sport's history.
No follower of baseball can deny that Jeter's one of the most iconic players of this, or any generation. The Yankees captain's career is marked by several jaw-dropping moments that cemented his legacy as a key figure in the annals of one of pro sports' most important franchises.
On Wednesday Jeter announced 2014 would be his last season via Facebook. "I could not be more sure. I know it in my heart. The 2014 Season will be my last year playing professional baseball," Jeter wrote. "For the last 20 years I've been completely focused on two goals; playing my best and helping the Yankees win. That means that for 365 days a year my every thought and action were geared toward that goal. It's now time for something new."
With that, here is a look back at the plays that made him legendary.
Honorable Mention:
Jeter closed out old Yankee Stadium with a heartfelt speech inviting fans to head across the street to make new memories. While Jeter's speech lacked the wow factor of Red Sox DH David Ortiz's momentarily profane salute to Boston after the maratho bombing, it was an understated and classy farewell that truly marked Jeter's leadership style.
In 1996 Game 1 of the ALDS was altered by an 11-year-old fan named Jeffrey Maier, who was responsible for one of the most famous instances of fan interference in MLB history. A young Maier reached over the right field wall and caught a Jeter shot when Orioles outfielder Tony Tarasco had a good chance at it. The umpires ruled the eighth inning, game-tying blast a home run, and the Yankees wound up winning the game, the ALDS, and eventually the World Series.
In the 2001 World Series Jeter clocked a game-winning home run off of Arizona Diamondbacks closer Byung-Hyun Kim to knot the series at two games apiece. Jeter's dinger came after midnight, so he became the first player to ever homer in November. That's why he will always be known in Yankees lore as "Mr. November." Arizona eventually overcame the Yankees in seven games, however, to take the 2001 title.
Prior to reaching the 2001 World Series, the Yankees were in dire straits vs. the Oakland A's until Jeter turned the tide with his famous "flip play." This is arguably the greatest play of Jeter's career, when he improbably backed up a wildly errant throw at the first base line from the outfield and flipped the ball to home plate where Jeremy Giambi was tagged out milliseconds before scoring a run.
In 2004 during the regular season Jeter put his marketable mug on the line vs. the Boston Red Sox during a regular season game in which he dove headfirst into the stands beyond the third base line to make an unbelievable grab.
In 2009 Jeter made Yankees history in their first season at the new stadium. In the third inning of a September 11th game Jeter hit an opposite field single off of Baltimore Orioles pitcher Chris Tillman to pass Lou Gehrig as the Yanks' all-time career hits leader. The hit was number 2,722. The Yankees went on to win their fifth World Series title in 2009.
Finally, Jeter hit a Hall of Fame marker in July of 2011 in spectacular fashion. After a drawn-out hunt for hit number 3,000 Jeter broke through against Tampa Bay Rays ace David Price with a home run to left-center field being the milestone. Jeter was five-for-five in that game, the last of those hits being a game-winner.
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