This is the Long Goodbye for Derek Jeter, but it’s also a final season of adjustments for the Hall of Fame shortstop.
How those adjustments go will be fascinating to watch as Yankees manager Joe Girardi makes his many moves.
That was evident in the bottom of the eighth inning of Thursday night’s 1-0 win over the Mets at Citi Field. When Girardi brought David Robertson in for the four-out save, he double-switched Jeter out of the game, replacing him with Brendan Ryan.
Girardi went directly to Jeter on the mound and told him of the switch and Jeter said, “OK, fine,’’ and went to the dugout.
David Wright then grounded to Ryan on the second pitch for the final out of the inning. The Yankees went on to win the game and as Jeter has said many times, that’s all that matters.
This is a new day for Jeter as he goes around baseball for his last season. Thursday’s game was being played in an National League park, so there was no designated hitter and managers just love to double switch, but removing Jeter from such a close game was a still a sight to behold.
As it turns out, Yangervis Solarte hit into a double play to end the top of the ninth, so Ryan never got to bat. Girardi, of course, did not want to have his closer, Robertson, bat fifth in the that inning.
Will there be a day soon when Girardi puts Ryan in for defense late in a game for Jeter?
Or will Girardi simply stick with Jeter at short through and through?
Jeter, who will turn 40 next month, has been nothing but class his entire career, so if such a change is made, expect him to handle it well.
Jeter has always played the game the right way and will go out that way.
In this his final season, he is going to have to adjust to whatever comes his way. He’s entering today’s game against the Pirates at Yankee Stadium batting .254 with a .331 on-base percentage. He was 0-for-4 Thursday batting second, but hit the ball hard three times. He had a trouble with a pop-up, missing it close to the wall along third, and in the Yankees’ new Shift World, he is often not at the standard shortstop spot, so that is a change, too.
There are adjustments in many, many ways.
The Yankees have some offensive issues right now.
Only two Yankees with at least 55 at-bats are hitting over .300. Ichiro Suzuki, who should get more playing time from Girardi, is hitting .364 and the amazing Solarte is batting .325. Mark Teixeira has been red hot and has pulled his average up to .272.
Regulars Kelly Johnson (.218), Brian McCann (.224), Carlos Beltran (.234, DL), Brian Roberts (.239) and Alfonso Soriano (.248) are all hitting less than Jeter as the Yankees are muddling along with a 21-19 mark.
Jeter, make no mistake, is enjoying his final season in every way. He has been appreciative of the gifts he has been given by other teams. In the clubhouse, Jeter is the first to joke with teammates and he has shown that side of his personality to the public, such as when the Mets presented Jeter’s Turn 2 Foundation with a check for $22,222.22.
On Thursday, a smiling Jeter chatted during batting practice with Bill O’Reilly.
The Jeter Factor has impacted the Yankees in many ways through the years, so I decided to enter the No Spin Zone. O’Reilly was asked if he believes we will ever see another Derek Jeter.
“Never,’’ the Fox News star said. “You’ll never see another Jeter again and here’s the reason: Derek Jeter epitomizes New York City and this is what I think people don’t see. Classy, first class all the way. Hustles, this is a hustling city.’’
If you don’t hustle in New York, I interjected, you don’t make it.
“Right,’’ O’Reilly said. “And he comes through. Those are the three things.’’
O’Reilly hit the nail on the head with that Jeter talking points memo.