CBN HOF Series: Captain Jeter was Mr. November
New York Yankees trainer Steve Donohue and manager Joe Girardi carry SS Derek Jeter off the field at Yankee Stadium during Game 1 of the 2012 American League Championship Series.
In this, the 13th article in our Hall of Fame series, Canadian Baseball Network editor-in-chief Bob Elliott shares some of his postseason memories of New York Yankees superstar shortstop Derek Jeter. Jeter will be inducted into the National Baseball Hall of Fame on September 8, alongside Larry Walker (Maple Ridge, B.C.), Ted Simmons and Marvin Miller.
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Larry Walker’s on Larry Walker, Jr. ||||| Steve Rogers on Marvin Miller
Clint Hurdle on Larry Walker IIIII Mario Ziino on Ted Simmons
Stubby Clapp on Larry Walker IIIII Buck Showalter on Derek Jeter
Gene Glynn on Larry Walker IIIII “The Legend” Dick Groch signed Jeter
Allan Simpson on Larry Walker IIIII
Coach Don Archer on Walker |||||
HOFer La Russa on HOFer Walker IIIII
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September 1, 2021
By Bob Elliott
Canadian Baseball Network
I’m not really sure of the first press box I ever went into -- there wasn’t one inside the gym at VIMY when I had my first byline as the Montreal YMCA edged the Kingston YMCA by a point in the final of a biddy basketball tournament at the forces base in Kingston in 1965.
Maybe the top turret at the Royal Military College alongside coaches who were yelling into head sets as the RMC Redmen played the Carleton Red Ravens on the football field down below.
But I can only recall a few times when row after row of writers gasped at what they had seen on the field below:
Maybe there was the same reaction when Joe Carter homered to win the 1993 World Series, but the noise at the SkyDome drowned everyone out.
1. Game 6, 1986 World Series, Oct. 25, Shea Stadium.
The Boston Red Sox baseball’s poor sisters were finally going to win ... thousands of words, characters, lines and stories had been filed from old Shea by the dandelions of North American journalism.
The Red Sox led the New York Mets 5-3 heading into the bottom of the 10th, three outs from winning their first Series since 1918.
Calvin Schiraldi retired Wally Backman and Keith Hernandez, who headed for the clubhouse to book a flight home.
Gary Carter singled on a 2-1 pitch, pinch hitter Kevin Mitchell singled on an 0-1 pitch and Ray Knight singled to centre on an 0-2 pitch, bringing home Carter.
Now, it was a one-run ball game.
Manager John McNamara brought in Bob Stanley who threw a wild one to the screen.
Tie game.
Mookie Wilson dribbled a ball up the first base line ...
It looked like a routine out ... now we’re headed to the 11th inning.
One problem the roller went between the wickets of first baseman Billy Buckner, Knight scored and the Mets had forced a Game 7.
The whole press box let out a scream and moved into panic mode to re-write what has happened.
The ‘Curse of the Bambino is over’ stories were saved but they were eventually killed when the Mets won Game 7.
2. Game 1, 1988 World Series, Oct. 15, Dodger Stadium.
Again everyone had filed their stories. The Oakland A’s had a 1-0 lead going into the bottom of the ninth and Mr. Perfect Dennis Eckersley was asked to get the final three outs.
Due to injuries, Tommy Lasorda fielded one the worst post-season lineups (1. 2B Steve Sax, 2. 1B Franklin Stubbs, 3. LF Mickey Hatcher, 4. RF Mike Marshall, 5. CF John Shelby, 6. C Mike Scioscia, 7. 3B Jeff Hamilton, 8. SS Alfredo Griffin and No. 9. RHP Tim Belcher) in baseball history. When a TV commentator said how bad the lineup was on the pre-game show, Lasorda stormed into the clubhouse screaming at what he’d heard on TV in an effort to motivate his troops.
When Eckersley arrived, the Dodgers had managed six hits: a Hatcher homer and five singles. Pinch hitter Mike Davis worked a five-pitch walk.
And now limping out of the dugout, after spending the game in the trainer’s room came injured pinch hitter Kirk Gibson on one leg, holding one bat.
Gibson hit the seventh pitch from Eck for game-winning homer. Eck coined the phrase “walk-off” as the press box gasped in unison, although there may have been a few “holy craps” mixed in and Hall of Famer broadcaster Jack Buck said:
“I don’t believe what I just saw.”
That genuine statement earned him a rip in Monday’s USA Today.
3. Game 5, 2001 World Series, Nov. 1, Yankee Stadium.
Arizona Diamondbacks manager Bob Brenly brought in Byung-Hyun Kim for the ninth with a 2-0 lead.
Kim allowed a lead-off double to Jorge Posada and retired the next two men.
With two out and all the stories filed, Scott Brosius hit the second pitch he saw for a game-tying, two-run homer.
“I can’t believe what I just saw,” said a writer down the row from me next to George Steinbrenner’s private box.
“A re-run of last night,” exclaimed another.
In Game 4, Kim was brought in for the save with a 3-1 lead in the ninth. Kim allowed a one-out single to Paul O’Neill, but with two out Tino Martinez hit a two-run homer to tie the game. And three batters into the 10th, Jeter hit a walk-off homer on a 3-2 pitch from Kim a few minutes after midnight earning him the nickname “Mr. November.”
The Yankees won Game 5 when Alfonso Soriano singled in the game winner against Albie Lopez in the 12th.
4. Game 1, 2012 American League Championship Series, Oct. 12, Yankee Stadium.
SS Derek Jeter with his Monument Plaque at Yankee Stadium.
This time it was not writers fretting about the change of the outcome.
This time it was not writers in awe marvelling at what they’d seen.
Nick Swisher had already misplayed Delmon Young’s liner to give the Detroit Tigers a 5-4 lead in 12th.
Jhonny Peralta hit a grounder to short. Jeter moved to his left and went down like a sniper had fired. He turned and grimaced, showing a face of pain as he attempted to flip the ball to Robinson Cano.
“Don’t cart me off the field,” he told manager Joe Girardi through clenched teeth.
So trainer Steve Donohue and Girardi carried Jeter and his fractured left ankle ending his year as well as his postseason to the dugout.
In this resurgence of the Yanks -- he was on the bench watching as a September call up in 1995 and was there for the first of five rings in 1996 -- as the Yanks make the World Series for the first time in 1981, he has always been first class and accommodating.
He was the face of the franchise more so than Cal Ripken of the Orioles.
Some knock Jeter for his lack of range and claim Alex Rodriguez is the better shortstop on the roster.
Yet, it was Jeter’s team.
Players respect him.
Umpires respect him.
The Captain takes the field at Yankee Stadium for a final time.
Writers respect him.
Yankee fans respected him.
That was obvious from watching the TV monitors in the press box.
As Jeter was carried off fans were shown sobbing and crying.
Jeter played two more seasons but that was his last post-season appearance as the Tigers took the ALCS in four games. Jeter played in the most postseason games (158) and tallied the most postseason hits (200) in big-league history. There were plenty of memories like ...
_ Game 1 of the 1996 ALCS … The old saying is a road team has to be lucky and good to win at either Fenway or Yankee Stadium. The Yanks were often lucky and good. Yanks were down 4-3 in the eighth inning to the Baltimore Orioles. Facing Armando Benitez, Jeter hit a fly ball to right, approaching the porch. O’s right fielder Tony Tarrasco reached up to make the grab, but young fan Jeffrey Maier reached for the ball and it clanked off his glove and into the first row of the bleachers. It was Jeter’s first postseason homer.
_ Game 4 of the 2000 World Series … after the New York Mets won Game 3 cutting the Yankees lead to 2-1 in the Subway Series, he led off with a homer on the way to a 3-2 win at Shea Stadium.
Derek Jeter turns Shane Spencer’s wild throw from a game-tying run to a game-saving out.
_ Game 3 of the 2001 ALDS …. when the Yanks were down 2-0 in the best-of-five set against the Oakland Athletics in the seventh, Jeter watched right fielder Shance Spencer over throw both relay men. Jeter fielded the ball on a hop in foul ground and made a shovel pass to Posada, who tagged Jeremy Giambi at home. Coach Trey Hillman taught the play during spring workouts ... but how many times have you see a shortstop be in a position to make that play? The Yankees were up 1-0 and Mike Mussina made the lead stand up to avoid elimination.
_ In the 2009 World Series … he helped the Yanks with 11 hits (.407) against the Philadelphia Phillies.