July 9, 2011, everybody thought it was going to be the day; the day that they witnessed Derek Jeter’s 3,000 hit. His first at bat, crack of the bat, 2,999 hit of his career. Second at bat, everyone was on their feet, cheering, anxious to see if their idol, would hit that 3,000 hit of his career. Crack! A home run, his 3,000th hit against Tampa Bay Rays left-hand hander David Price. It was a monumental moment many die-hard Yankee fans were waiting for.
Derek Jeter wanted to be a shortstop for the Yankees since he was a little kid . He would look at pictures and say, “That will be me someday, on the Yankees.” Since he was young he always played baseball with his grandfather and his father, throwing the ball around in the yard and talking about how he really wanted to play for the Yankees. Today he is a Yankee; he loves what he does and loves playing baseball. Derek was a kind of person who wanted to find the right role model in his life to succeed, and that person was his dad. He and his dad, did everything together. His parents were really strict about grades, and made him sign a contract for his grades and chores around the house. From the autobiography about Derek, one paragraph reads, “My parents had a very good rule when it came to drugs and alcohol. They told me if I was ever at a party or around a group of people who were drinking and drugging, as my father used to say, I could call them, they would come and pick me up, and they would ask no questions.” (Jeter Derek). This sentence is illustrating how Derek was a really trustworthy teenager, and he did earn his parents respect, but he had to sign a contract to not break their trust.
Derek Jeter then grew up, and in 1995, he joined the Yankees as a shortstop. At his first game, he went 0-5 and was scared he was going to get bumped down to the minor leagues again, and he did not want that happening. Derek trained harder, and harder to try and fix his mistakes he made. After the game, Jeter and his dad went out to get a bite to eat, and to forget about the game. Derek and his father talked about how Derek could make his dream even better, and how to fix his mistakes.
The next day, Derek grabs his first hit against Tim Belcher. A couple days later, on April 2nd, Jeter hits his first major league home run against Dennis Martinez on opening day. On September 25, 2000 Derek collects his 1,000 hit of his major league career against Steve Sparks (Derek Jeter Timeline). On June 3, 2003 Derek Jeter officially becomes team captain. A couple of months later, on August 16, 2003 he hit his 1,500 hit of his career (Derek Jeter Timeline). And then 3 years later, he hits 2,000 hits vs the Kansas City Royals (Derek Jeter Timeline). August 22, 2008 he hits his 2,500 hit of his career against the Orioles (Derek Jeter Timeline). On June 13, 2011, Derek Jeter’s strained left calf forces him to get put on the disabled list for 3 weeks, delaying his 3,000 hit (Derek Jeter Timeline). With 3 days left before leaving for an away game, July 9, 2011 after his return, he manages to go 5-5 hitting his 3,000 hit of his career. Pete Rose leads the top of the hitting chart with 4,256 hits, and Derek is less than 1,000 hits away from that. He is #11 on the list, and to get into the top 10, he needs to surpass Eddie Collins with 3,315 hits. Currently, Derek has 3,304 hits.
Derek Jeter is a man of respect, dignity and honesty and he wants to teach all of the people that look up to him that. He’s a well respected baseball player, and wanted to play baseball for the New York Yankees ever since he was 8 years old. Today, he lives the dream and wants his fans to do the same. He wants them to never give up and to always dream, because dreams do, and can become true, if you work hard and persist towards your goal.