Derek Sanderson Jeter, one of the most admired and beloved baseball players of this generation — and certainly one of the most popular New York Yankees of all time — announced his retirement after 20 years in Major League Baseball.
Jeter, whose superb play under pressure in the postseason and his lady’s man reputation made him the face of baseball for the better part of a decade, broke the news to his bosses prior to Spring training down in Florida and then posted a long message on his Facebook page beginning with “Thank you.”
“I’ve experienced so many defining moments in my career,” the statement said. “Winning the World Series as a rookie shortstop, being named the Yankees captain, closing the old and opening the new Yankee Stadium were a few. Through it all, I have never stopped chasing the next one. I want to finally stop the chase and take in the world.”
Jeter will come to a stop after a brilliant major league career that began in 1995 and has come to include five World Series rings, 13 appearances in the All-Star Game and the distinction of being the only one of the team’s many greats to break the 3,000-hit barrier as a Yankee.
“Last year was a tough one for me. As I suffered through a bunch of injuries, I realized that some of the things that always come easily to me and were always fun had started to become a struggle. The one thing I always said to myself was that when baseball started to feel more like a job it would be time to move forward.”
Celebrities and fans alike were shocked at the news despite the fact that Jeter, just shy of his 40th birthday and in the last year of his contract, had laid out subtle hints that his career was coming to a close.
Take a look at the celebrity and fellow athlete reactions to Jeter’s retirement announcement.
We’ve all gotten a lot older, haven’t we? This is Derek Jeter as a rookie, via @si_vault. #DerekJeter #Yankees pic.twitter.com/HPahFPeLzL
— Mike Greenberg (@Espngreeny) February 12, 2014
I’m blessed to have played with him. @Yankees fans & baseball fans all over the world will have a lot to celebrate this season. #DerekJeter
— Bernie Williams (@bw51official) February 12, 2014
If you measure a player by what he meant to his sport, Derek Jeter is the greatest player of his generation. #DerekJeter #Yankees
— Mike Greenberg (@Espngreeny) February 12, 2014
I may die. @jimmyfallon has #derekjeter on. #thecaptain in the house! I love the #yankees
— Star Jones (@StarJonesEsq) September 3, 2013
I so love #DerekJeter…our #Yankees captain.
— Star Jones (@StarJonesEsq) July 29, 2013
