Forget Babe Ruth, Joe DiMaggio, Mickey Mantle and Lou Gehrig.
Derek Jeter is atop the list of all-time Yankees greats, according to longtime teammate Jorge Posada.
“In my words, for me, he’s No. 1,” the former Yankees catcher said Sunday prior to Derek Jeter Day at the Stadium. “Because I got to play with him, and I got to see how much the game of baseball meant to him, not only the winning part of it — that was his priority — but what he stood [for]. He really made sure he was there, he was playing, he was in the lineup. Never make an excuse, that’s one of his biggest pet peeves.”
Posada waxed poetic about the Captain’s toughness and his ability to pick up things quickly. He was a constant in the lineup, a Yankees rock and clutch playoff performer who never made excuses when he played hurt or failed to produce.
“Joe Torre was talking about [Jeter being] trustworthy, but you tell Derek one thing, if he made a mistake or he did something wrong, you would tell him one time and you wouldn’t have to tell him again,” Posada said. “That tells you how strong he was.
“For me, he was No. 1.”
Fellow Core Four member and future Hall-of-Fame closer Mariano Rivera said the media never saw the other side of it, when Jeter was hurting and spent long hours in the training room, and it looked like he wouldn’t be able to play. But Jeter always was ready when the bell rang.
“Those are the types of players you have to take out of the lineup, because if you ask him, they will never say I don’t want to play today because I don’t feel good,” Rivera said. “That’s the type of player he is.”
Rivera echoed Posada in his support of Jeter’s legacy, though he hedged somewhat on Jeter’s place in Yankee lore.
“Never saw Babe Ruth play, Joe DiMaggio or Lou Gehrig, Mickey Mantle, but I saw Derek playing for 19 years in the big leagues, and some years in the minor leagues, and all I saw was determination and desire to be the best,” Rivera said. “So definitely for me, like Jorge says, he’s No. 1. I saw the man always want to bring the best and give the best for the team. He maybe didn’t say too much, or maybe didn’t speak too much, but he said it all on the field.
“That’s what you want from your Captain, or your shortstop or main guy, to be in charge, especially in tough situations. You want him to be at bat or the ball hit to him the last out of the game.”
Former Yankees outfielder Tim Raines only played with Jeter for three seasons — the first three seasons of Jeter’s career — but they were memorable years.
“He’s one of the most clutch players that I’ve ever seen in sports, not just baseball,” Raines said. “When it came down to getting a bit hit, making a big play, whatever it took on a baseball field, Derek Jeter had his hands on it. To have the opportunity to play with him for three years and watch his career flourish, it’s something I’ll always remember.”
Jeter’s memorable 20-year career has 21 games remaining unless the Yankees go on a wild run. Rivera and Posada both said they are sad to see their friend’s career likely end without a postseason berth, but it is also time.
“He has been amazing for all those years,” Rivera said. “I don’t want to see a man like that struggle. He has been so good on the field. I don’t want people to push him off the field. I think he chose right. It’s time to do other things. But definitely for him, he will give you everything he has until the last chance he will have.”