In case you’ve been living on another planet all year, you should know by now that this is New York Yankees shortstop, Derek Jeter’s final season. With just four games left to go, and the next three on the road in Boston, Thursday night is Jeter’s swan song in New York. First pitch will be thrown at 4:05 EST, and it will be the last chance for New Yorkers to catch a glimpse of the captain.
Whether you are watching the game live in the Bronx or from a television in the comfort of your own home, here are 5 things you need to know and watch for in Jeter’s final game wearing pinstripes.
#5 The Bleacher Creature Roll Call
If you’ve caught some of the ESPN Sunday Night baseball commercials this year, you’re familiar with the “Bleacher Creatures” of section 203 at Yankees Stadium. The fans who call themselves the “Bleacher Creatures” and have custom jackets and sweaters to back it up, chant in unison, the names of the starting players on the field as soon as the first pitch is thrown. They continue to chant until that player recognizes them in the stands. As has been customary for years, Yankees Captain Derek Jeter simply gives the creatures a nod, tip of his cap, or gesture with his glove. However, expect the unexpected on Thursday night as we anticipate the entire stadium of over 50,000 people to get in on the roll call. Will Jeter stay with tradition and give a simple nod, or will he take time to tip his cap to the entire stadium? Watch tonight to find out!
UPDATE: Here is the video of Jeter's final roll call:
#4 The Last Time You’ll Hear The Voice of Bob Sheppard
Arguably, the most famous public address announcer in the history of baseball, Bob Sheppard, has been announcing Derek Jeter’s at bats posthumously for the past five years. Sheppard passed away in 2010 at the age of 99, but per the request of Jeter has been announcing his at bats at every Yankee game.
Sheppard was the voice of the Yankees for over 56 years, and according to the Yankees, Thursday night will be the last time you hear his voice again at Yankees stadium. If you haven’t heard the simple, yet iconic intro, watch and listen to it below.
#3 Will Orioles’ Pitcher Kevin Gausman Give The Captain Something To Hit?
If you didn’t get a chance to see the All-Star game on July 15th, National League starter, Adam Wainwright told the media after the game that he “grooved” a pitch to Derek Jeter. In an attempt to honor the great Yankees shortstop in his final all-star game, Wainwright, gave Jeter something to hit to start the game. Wainwright called them “pipe shots”, meaning he threw some 80 something MPH fastballs straight over the plate or “down the pipe.” Jeter doubled to ignite a three-run inning off of Wainwright, and the rest is history. Now the question begs: will the Orioles do the same?
The Baltimore Orioles have clinched the AL East and are a long shot from catching the Los Angeles Angels for the best record in baseball and home field advantage throughout the entire MLB playoffs. Therefore, with not a whole lot to play for, you wonder if Orioles manager, baseball historian, and Derek Jeter’s first big league manager, Buck Showalter tells his young starting pitcher, Kevin Gausman, to give something for Jeter to hit. Jeter is having the worst offensive season of his career, and even if he got a pitch to hit, he would still have to do something with it, the odds of him hitting a home run are doubtful, but if he could start the game with a single or double, it would get a rousing ovation from the crowd.
#2 The Last Time You’ll See A Yankee Where a Single Digit Number
Thursday Night’s game marks the final time you will see anyone wearing a single digit number in pinstripes. The Yankees iconic home jerseys originally started in the early 1920s, with numbers on the back signifying where that player hit in the lineup. That tradition was done away with, but the Yankees #2 hitter still wears the iconic jersey. The retirement of Derek Jeter’s jersey with the Yankees is inevitable, and when it happens, he will join the ring of honor which just happens to have all of the other single digit numbers as well. Here’s the breakdown, needless to say it’s quite the exclusive club.
#1: Billy Martin – Second baseman/ Manager
#2 Derek Jeter – Shortstop
#3 Babe Ruth – Outfielder
#4 Lou Gehrig – First baseman
#5 Joe DiMaggio – Outfielder
#6 Joe Torre – Manager
#7 Mickey Mantle – Outfielder
#8 Yogi Berra – Catcher/Outfielder
#9 Roger Maris – Outfielder
#1 Derek Jeter’s Last At Bat and Aftermath
Neither Derek Jeter nor Yankees Manager Joe Girardi have given away any clues on how they plan to send off the Captain at home tonight. Last season, in closer Mariano Rivera’s final home game with the Yankees, Girardi sent out Jeter and Andy Pettitte, two of Rivera’s longtime teammates, in his place to pull the reliever out of the game in the 9th inning. Rivera broke into tears as the crowd gave him a send off for the ages. With that as a backdrop, we wonder how Jeter will say goodbye tonight.
Will Girardi substitute for Jeter sometime in the 8th or 9th inning after he has had one final at bat? Will he wait until that final at bat and then substitute him for a pinch hitter? Will Jeter want to play the game until the final out? Nobody knows what the two have in store tonight, and the drama surrounding the mystery will be riveting.
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