It’s the end of an era. On Wednesday afternoon Derek Jeter announced his retirement from Major League Baseball following the 2014 season. Jeter’s name will now be mentioned on the short list of legends who played their whole career in the Yankee pinstripes. He joins icons such as Lou Gehrig, Joe DiMaggio, Mickey Mantle, and Don Mattingly. His departure also means that all links to the '96 Yankees have all retired.
"I know they say that when you dream you eventually wake up,” Jeter said in a public statement. “Well, for some reason, I've never had to wake up. Not just because of my times as a New York Yankee but also because I am living my dream every single day."
Derek Jeter’s retirement wasn’t a matter of “if” but “when.” During the last two seasons he faced debilitating injuries to his ankle which left the Yankee clipper writhing in pain. In 2012, a season which saw him surpass a Willie Mays milestone and finish with 216 hits, the most in the MLB that year, Jeter limped off the field in the ALCS against the Detroit Tigers with a fractured ankle. The Yankee captain attempted to play in 2013 but saw much of the same woes. He returned to the lineup in July but quickly ended up back on the disabled list. After another short stint last year, Jeter once again returned to the disabled list on September 11th, 2013.
“Last year was a tough one for me,” Jeter continued. “As I suffered through a bunch of injuries, I realized that some of the things that always came easy to me and were always fun had started to become a struggle. The one thing I always said to myself was that when baseball started to feel more like a job, it would be time to move forward."
Jeter is the Yankee leader in at-bats, stolen bases, and hits. He currently has 3,316 hits and a career .312 batting average. He also boasts five World Series rings from 1996, 1998, 1999, 2000, and 2009.
[Source: Derek Jeter Facebook]