Post by Admin on Feb 12, 2014 17:25:20 GMT -4
New York Yankees shortstop Derek Jeter announced on Facebook that the 2014 season will be his last.
"The 2014 season will be my last year playing professional baseball," the Yankees captain said in a 15-paragraph note on the social media site.
It had to happen at some point, but news that 2014 will be Derek Jeter's last feels like a cataclysmic event for the Yanks, writes Wallace Matthews. Blog
Jeter called Hal Steinbrenner on Wednesday morning to inform him of his plans to retire but asked the owner to keep the news quiet, team president Randy Levine told ESPNNewYork.com.
A certain Hall of Famer, Jeter said in the Facebook post that, "Through it all, I've never stopped chasing the next [World Series title]. I want to finally stop the chase and take in the world."
Hampered by injuries last season, Jeter played in just 17 games and hit a career-low .190 with one home run and seven RBIs.
For his career, Jeter has 3,316 hits (ninth all-time) with a .312 batting average and 256 home runs. He ranks first in Yankees history in games played, at-bats, hits and stolen bases.
A five-time World Series champion and the 1996 AL Rookie of the Year, the 39-year-old Jeter would be eligible for the 2020 Hall of Fame voting.
Hall of Fame shortstop Ozzie Smith sang Jeter's praises Wednesday and said he's looking forward to seeing the Yankees star in Cooperstown.
"I'd tell him, 'We've got a spot for you over here in Cooperstown, you're certainly a first ballot Hall of Famer,' " Smith said.
Michael Kay says he was shocked that Derek Jeter would announce his future retirement before the season begins.
"In the 21-plus years in which I have served as commissioner, Major League Baseball has had no finer ambassador than Derek Jeter," MLB commissioner Bud Selig said in a statement. "Since his championship rookie season, Derek has represented all the best of the national pastime on and off the field. He is one of the most accomplished and memorable players of his -- or any -- era."
Former teammate Tony Clark is now the executive director of the MLBPA and spoke to Jeter's character in a statement released Wednesday.
"I had the pleasure of playing against and with Derek. As his teammate in 2004, I had the privilege of seeing his leadership and professionalism manifest itself daily," Clark said. "A champion on and off the field, Derek's impact cannot be understated."
In his Facebook post, Jeter thanked "The Boss, the Steinbrenner family, the entire Yankees organization" as well as managers, coaches, teammates, friends, family and the fans.
"I will remember it all: the cheers, the boos, every win, every loss, all the plane trips, the bus rides, the clubhouses, the walks through the tunnel and every drive to and from the Bronx," the post read. "I have achieved almost every personal and professional goal I have set. I have gotten the very most out of my life playing baseball, and I have absolutely no regrets."
After five World Series titles, Yankees captain Derek Jeter said the 2014 season will be his last.
Jeter's final series as a Yankee is set to be at Fenway Park against the rival Boston Red Sox, starting Sept. 28.
Within minutes of the announcement that was posted to Jeter's Facebook page, ticket prices started soaring on the web.
Ticket aggregator TiqIQ said that the cheapest seat for the game at around 2 p.m. ET, before Jeter's announcement was posted, was $26.
An hour later, the site didn't have anything for less than $200.
Jim Holzman, CEO and president of Boston-based Ace Tickets, the largest broker in town, saw a huge uptick as well.
Ace raised the prices for a bleacher seat from $129 to $149. A field-box seat jumped from $275 to $349.
As of 4 p.m., the average ticket price for Jeter's scheduled last game was $803.54, up 163.57 percent from 2 p.m.
Will miss The Captain of The Yankees
C