Yankees Legend Arrived 30 Years Ago Today

30 years ago, on May 29, 1995, Derek Jeter made his MLB debut with the New York Yankees.

The beloved Yankees shortstop was drafted by the team straight out of high school in 1992. Once he got started, Jeter played 20 seasons in the majors, all of them with the Yankees. He posted a video on Instagram in 2022, to mark 30 years since he was drafted.

MLB on Twitter posted a video of the announcers on that day, informing fans that Jeter would be called up to play in place of Tony Fernandez in his first major league series. The video includes some footage of Jeter playing in his first few games, including his first three hits for the Yankees.

On this date in 1995, Derek Jeter made his MLB debut for the Yankees in Seattle 👏

In his first big league series, the future Yankees captain would pick up the first 3 of his 3,465 career hits and the first of his 1,311 career RBI 🫡 pic.twitter.com/3oWkAoapAk
— MLB (@MLB) May 29, 2025

His "flip" to take out Jeremy Giambi at home plate in a 2001 ALDS game against the Oakland Athletics has gone down as one of the most iconic plays in MLB history.

In 11195 career at-bats, the14-time AL All-Star still hold several Yankees records, including hits (3465), games played (2747), and plate appearances (12602). He is a five-time World Series champion, a five-time Gold Glove winner, and a five-time silver slugger.

Nicknamed "Mr. Clean" for his notably scandal-free decades in the spotlight, Jeter has attributed his public reputation to vigilance. In an exit interview with Sports Illustrated upon his departure from the Yankees, Jeter told Tom Verducci that he learned to dance like everyone is watching from a very young age.

"You have to assume that everything you do is public knowledge," he said. "Everything. Because now everyone is a reporter. Everyone is a photographer. [...] It's all I've known. I've been here since I was 20."

After leaving the sport in 2014, the Yankees retired his jersey number, 2, in 2017.

He was elected to the Hall of Fame in 2020 almost unanimously, with the second-highest election percentage behind only Mariano Rivera, who was elected unanimously in 2019. The sole vote cast against Jeter for the Hall of Fame remains a mystery.

Since leaving the Yankees, Jeter was CEO of the Miami Marlins from 2017-2022. In recent years he has provided broadcast commentary on FOX and focused on raising his four young children.

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