The Captain ended his illustrious MLB career in the most memorable way deserving his stature. The pregame plan was to ensure that Derek Jeter walked off the field in his last game.
ESPN reported that during the third inning at Fenway Park, the 40-year-old Jeter had an RBI infield single. It was his last career at-bat. After chopping the single, he officially exited the sport amidst the cheers and chants of fans. Later, the New York Yankees won the game against the Boston Red Sox 9-5.
At the end of his career, Jeter already garnered a total of 3,465 hits, making him the sixth best hitter in the history of baseball. He concluded his 20-year career with a batting average of .309 and five championship rings, all with the Yankees.
According to Newsday.com, the shortstop placed himself in the top 10 career leaders in three categories. Aside from garnering sixth place in hits, Jeter is seventh in the at-bats category with 11,195 and ninth in runs with 1,923. He played a total of 2,747 games. He hit 260 home runs, 544 double and, 66 triples and had a RBI of 1,311. He covered a total of 4,921 bases and had 1,082 walks, 1,840 strikeouts and 358 stolen bases. His slugging percentage was .440 while his on-base percentage was .377.
He reportedly said at the postgame news conference, "I felt like the time was right." He added, "I had a blast. Listen, I had an opportunity to do what I wanted to do, the only thing that I ever wanted to do. I know that not a lot of people can say that. I've been fortunate. I've had fun. There is not a thing I would change."
Asked about his retirement plans, Jeter shared that he planned to take some time off. However, he already began post-baseball work by partnering with Simon & Schuster and establishing Jeter Publishing, a publication company for adult and children's books.
Before the start of the 2014 MLB season, Jeter signed a deal for one year with the Yankees valued at $12 million. Forbes reported that his net worth is approximately $24.3 million in June 2014, with $9 million of the sum coming from endorsements with Gatorade, Nike, Rawlings, Steiner Sports, 24-hour Fitness, Movado, Luvo and Avon. The Richest, however, reported that Jeter's net worth is around $185 million. He reportedly signed a $51 million contract with the Yankees for three years.