ST. PETERSBURG, Fla. — Derek Jeter needs to get to his final October.
The best way to do that is to get a game-winning hit. He is Captain Clutch, after all.
After not being able to bunt Brett Gardner to third base after he led off the ninth inning of a 2-2 game with an infield single and advanced to second on Logan Forsythe’s throwing error, Jeter ripped a 2-2 pitch past the diving second baseman into right-center to drive in the winning run.
A 2-2 pitch and a 2-2 tie as No. 2 drilled a run-scoring single past the second baseman.
Yes, some hits just have to happen.
It all added up to a 3-2 win for the Yankees over the Rays at Tropicana Field on Saturday, snapping the Yankees’ five-game losing streak.
And the crowd of 31,042 let loose with a thunderous chant of “Der-ek Je-ter!”
It was home away from home for Jeter.
Starting pitching Shane Greene, a rookie, who pitched a marvelous six innings with a career-high 10 strikeouts, said it best.
“That was such a huge hit. He’s The Captain and that’s his job to come through in situations like that and he did it,” Greene told The Post. “It was pretty awesome.”
The Yankees and their stumbling offense need a little awesome.
Manager Joe Girardi started Jeter as the designated hitter Saturday, placing Carlos Beltran in right field for the first time since May 10 and Martin Prado at second.
The move paid off with Jeter getting the game-winning hit and Prado delivering a two-run home run in the second.
Girardi noted Jeter always has been able to relax in the biggest moments.
At the age of 40, Jeter still can find a way.
“We need all the wins we can get,” Jeter said. “It’s crunch time, what, we have 40-some games left? This was a big one for us and we need to come back and play well [Sunday].”
Do they ever.
This could be the kind of win that sparks the Yankees, but with this troubled offense, nothing can be taken for granted.
One thing is certain, Jeter really was touched by the crowd and the way they chanted his name. Girardi said it was the loudest cheers he has heard on the road this season for Jeter.
“The fans have been awesome,” Jeter said of the Tropicana Field crowd, many of whom wore No. 2 jerseys. “They’ve been awesome all year. They’ve been awesome here the first two games, there are a lot of Yankees fans down here with spring training here. It seems like quite a few were in the stands, it was almost like a home game.”
The fact Jeter couldn’t bunt worked out for the best. He said the bunt was the right call, he just couldn’t get a pitch to bunt.
“I always like to be in that situation,” Jeter said. “It doesn’t mean I’m going to succeed, I’ve failed quite a bit as well, but I like those situations.”
This was Jeter’s 12th career go-ahead hit in the ninth inning or later, the first since Oct. 2, 2010, at Boston. He has 20 career game-winning RBI against the Rays — only David Ortiz (26) has more.
Enjoy the moment and do what it takes to win.
“He’s not a comfortable at-bat,” Jeter said of Rays reliever Jake McGee. Asked how close the 1-1 pitch came to him, a pitch that pushed Jeter off the plate, he said, “I don’t know, I closed my eyes.”
Being a DH is difficult, Jeter said.
“To be honest, I don’t know how people do it” he said. “I just run out of things to do.”
Here is the essence of Jeter.
“Every day you come here, you’ve got to be optimistic and take each day as it comes, every at-bat, every pitch, you have to find a way to do your job, just try to win this game,” Jeter said. “When you are scuffling a little bit, that’s when you find out a lot about teams, a lot about players.”
That is how you become Captain Clutch.