This infield hit was special.
Derek Jeter came into Friday night’s game against the Indians at Yankee Stadium needing one hit to tie Hall of Famer Honus Wagner for sixth place on MLB’s all-time hit list with 3,430.
Jeter picked up that infield hit in the first inning to start a five-run rally as the Yankees went on for a 10-6 victory.
No shortstop in major league history has more hits.
Only Pete Rose, Ty Cobb, Hank Aaron, Stan Musial and Tris Speaker have more hits.
Wagner is considered by many the greatest all-around player in baseball history.
None of this is lost on Jeter.
“I was told he’s got the most hits of anyone who has played the shortstop position,’’ Jeter told The Post before the game. “So I feel pretty special [to be in such company].’’
The all-around aspect of Wagner’s game is what makes this milestone stand out for Jeter. That is what his game is all about. He made that clear.
“I’ve always tried to be an all-around player,’’ Jeter said at his locker. “That’s what I’ve always tried to do.’’
Jeter then cut to the chase, explaining something that is lost a bit in today’s game.
“I’ve always tried to do everything on the field to help the team try to win,’’ Jeter told The Post. “In all different ways, offensively, defensively, moving runners up to score a run. That’s how you win games. You can take all these formulas and stuff and throw it out the window.’’
Jeter moved the runners up on a sacrifice bunt in the sixth. Two batters later, Carlos Beltran drilled a grand slam.
When I mentioned to Jeter the winning approach is getting lost in today’s game, he did not hesitate.
“It’s been lost,’’ he said, “since they started coming up with all these formulas.’’
Jeter is not going to be the guest speaker at the next meeting of analytical experts. The iPad game is not his game. He knows what it takes to win. At the age of 40, he produces.
Over his last 49 games, Jeter is hitting .300.
His dad, Charles, was at the game, sitting with Tino Martinez and Jeter’s girlfriend, Hannah Davis.
Through all this there is one way to measure the value of Jeter, the best way — five championship rings, 16 postseasons.
“Derek goes out there and competes every single day, and that is probably the biggest compliment that you can give a player,’’ hitting coach Kevin Long said. “He fights through aches and pains and when you do that, and you are a good player, those hits are going to add up.
“When Derek is done and we look back at this, there are going to be people who say Derek was the greatest shortstop to ever play the game. I think he is. It’s not just the numbers, it’s the intangibles, the person that he is and what he brings to the team.’’
The players the Yankees have added all seem to have that winning mindset.
“We have a bunch of guys who love to play and get after it,’’ Long added. “Chase Headley said it best: ‘I’m having more fun playing right now than I’ve had in a long time.’ ”
Catcher Brian McCann, who had to leave the game with a mild concussion, said, “Just playing with a guy like Derek gives you such a thrill.’’
That uplifting approach can’t be measured by numbers, either. The Yankees have won six of seven. They are trying to get on a run that will take them to October.
For the retiring Jeter, that is the only way to go out.
Every day he steps on the field he has fun. In batting practice, Jeter plays little competitive games with his teammates to keep it more interesting and during batting practice, you can always hear him chirping away at shortstop.
He now owns 3,430 hits. No shortstop has more. Only five players in MLB history have ever collected more base hits.
No formula could have predicted that 20 years ago.