Derek Jeter inducted into Baseball Hall of Fame

After getting delayed for more than a year due to COVID-19 complications, the Baseball Hall of Fame finally conducted its induction ceremony for the Class of 2020 on Wednesday afternoon. It was worth the wait for New York Yankees player Derek Jeter who was honored in Cooperstown, New York.

This Yankees icon was a team member for 20 seasons, with wins of five World Series championships and seven American League pennants. While Jeter is one of the most impressive players in Yankees’ history, he’s also considered one of the best offensive shortstops (119 wRC+ and 3,465 career hits).

With his impressive stats, he was also the unofficial “face of baseball” from the 2000s until the early 2010s, making him one of his generation’s most recognizable players.

A career you can only dream of.

Welcome to the Hall, Derek Jeter. pic.twitter.com/Lh4kTQCwsZ

— SportsCenter (@SportsCenter) September 8, 2021

Hall-0f-Famer Stats

There are signs of what was ahead of his career as Jeter received full support from 396 of 397 Baseball Writers Association of American voters. This was in his first year of qualification.

At age 38, his stats are impressive at 11,195 at-bats and .310 hits over 2,747 games. He was an American League All-Star 14 times and won the AL with 216 hits in 2012.

His numbers alone speak for his Hall of Fame honor. He was the only player with more than 350 stolen bases, 250 home runs, and a career batting average north of .300. He also holds the record for the most number of total bases and runs scored plus postseason hits. This proves he has achieved more hits than anyone who debuted after 1963.

Derek Jeter is a Hall of Famer. pic.twitter.com/9KElypEMgX

— ESPN (@espn) September 8, 2021

Along with Larry Walker, players union executive director Marvin Miller, and Ted Simmons, Jeter was enshrined with huge pro-Yankees crowd cheers. Jeter was first drafted from Central High School in Kalamazoo, Michigan, in 1992.

The crowd in the archaic village in central New York consists of Jeter’s friends and family. Also present were his former teammates and Yankees fans. The Hall of Fame Yankees manager Joe Torre was full support on the stage with him. At that moment, he was emotional with acknowledging the recent deaths of 10 Hall of Famers. During his speech, he thanked everyone.

He also highlighted Gary Denbo as one of the most important persons for his baseball career development. Denbo works for Jeter now as Marlin’s Vice President of player development.

The 47-year-old Yankees icon shared, “This is as high as you can go in terms of your playing career. There are no other awards or accolades you can receive. From a career playing standpoint, man, I guess it does close the chapter.”

Jeter also said, “I had one goal in my career, and that was to win more than everyone else, and we did that, which brings me to the Yankee fans. Without question, you helped me get here today as much as any individual I’ve mentioned.”