Jeter’s Still the Man

Derek Jeter has been one of the only reasons the Yankees have been winning lately–and he’s the reason they’ll keep winning in the playoffs.

Over the past few months, and in the last weeks especially, the Boston Red Sox have challenged the New York Yankees for the AL Division title that the Yankees have held since 1998. And in an atmosphere where every game is crucial, one Yankee, like so many times before, has proven to be a leader–a player who has put the team on his back and led them to victory when they needed it most: Derek Jeter.Of course, this year’s Yankee stud is Gary Sheffield, who is making a serious campaign for AL MVP. Last year, Jorge Posada was the breakout player, and the year before the title belonged to Jason Giambi and Alfonso Soriano. Each Yankees team of the last three years has had a marquee player. But, each year, Jeter’s importance becomes clearer.

In the 2000 Subway Series, after the Mets halved the Yankees lead to 2-1, Jeter gave the Yankees a 1-0 lead on a solo homerun, and the Bombers didn’t look back, winning the series in five games. In the 2001 Division Series, the Yankees were down 2-0 in a five game series, having to beat  two of Oakland’s Big Three (Zito and Mulder) just to advance to the championship series. Sure, it was Mike Mussina who pitched a Game Three gem–but remember who made the showstopper play in the game, which is now just called The Flip. And then, Jeter made another fabulous play, diving into the stands to make a critical catch. When Jeter dove, his legs came over his head and for a split second, formed a V: inadvertently, of course, but the V stands for victory. What about in the 2001 World Series, when Jeter was dubbed Mr. November after hitting a game-winning, walk off homerun in the wee hours of the November 1st morning.

If the Yankees awarded a team MVP, it would probably be Sheffield, complemented by his sick statistics. If the team awarded a MIP (Most Important Player), it would undoubtedly be Jeter. And in the last few weeks, his numbers haven’t been sensational…but his play has been.

After the Yankees’ divisional lead was reduced by eight games to two and a half games over the Red Sox, tension and pressure were high inside Yankee Stadium. Offseason acquisition Javier Vasquez pitched a solid game, but Jeter was the star. He doubled early in the game, and subsequently scored. Then, he singled and scored. Going into the bottom of the ninth, the game was tied, 3-3. Jeter was responsible for 2/3 of New York’s runs and just under a third of their offense. And guess who led off the ninth? Captain Fantastic–who took his leadoff walk, just as a leadoff man should. He moved to second on a wild pitch, got to third on a sacrifice bunt and scored on a bases loaded walk. The Yankees manufactured the run perfectly–no, Derek Jeter manufactured the run perfectly.

In a thirteen inning Yankees-Red Sox classic earlier in the year, Jeter bloodied himself by diving into the stands to catch a dying quail that would have given Boston a lead. The cliché of Jeter diving and Garciaparra sulking on the bench is trite. That’s not my point. The point is that early in the season, late in the season, or in the postseason, Derek Jeter is exactly what churns the Yankees. The Yankees may or may not hold on to the division title, but they will make the playoffs. That’s when Mr. November smells blood; and he’s proven that nothing–not a Byung Hung Kim fastball, a Pedro Martinez slider, or a Yankee Stadium box seat will stop him from his ultimate goal: another ring.