New York Yankees shortstop and captain Derek Jeter announced that he will retire at the end of this season on Wednesday. He made the announcement on his Facebook fan page.
Jeter, 39, made his Major League Baseball debut in May 1995. He has spent his entire career with the Yankees. Last year he played in only 17 games due to a broken ankle. The Yankees had reached a one-year, $12 million deal with Jeter in November, according to Sports Illustrated. Jeter said that he had made this decision months ago and that last year was a tough year for him.
"So really it was months ago when I realized that this season would likely be my last," Jeter wrote on his Facebook page, USA Today notes. "As I came to this conclusion and shared it with my friends and family, they all told me to hold off saying anything until I was absolutely 100% sure."
Jeter added, "I will remember it all: the cheers, the boos, every win, all the plane trips, the bus rides, the clubhouses, the walks through the tunnel and every drive to and from the Bronx."
Jeter is a 13-time All-Star and a five-time World Series champion. In 1996 he was the American League Rookie of the Year. He has played in 2,602 games with 3,316 hits, 256 homeruns, and 1,261 RBIs going into his final season. His 3,316 hits puts him 10th on the all-time list, USA Today notes. He has a career average of .312 and a .381 OBP entering this season.
Jeter’s final game will be on September 28, with his last game at Yankee Stadium on September 25, if the Yankees were to not make the playoffs. He will join pitchers Mariano Rivera and Andy Pettitte as Yankee players who have retired in recent years. It’s hard to imagine a Yankees game without Jeter and he will be missed after this year.