New York Yankees legend Derek Jeter shut down FS1’s Colin Cowherd during an interview when Cowherd insinuated that Jeter had faced Hall of Famer Nolan Ryan.
“No,” Jeter said on the July 15 episode of “The Herd,” cutting off Cowherd by saying “no” 10 more times. “I never faced Nolan, slow down. No, I was way after Nolan.”
Cowherd, who said Jeter was “obviously in the Nolan Ryan era,” laughed, seemingly recognizing his error. “Way after Nolan. OK.”
Derek Jeter fact-checking Colin Cowherd in real time
Jeter, 50, debuted in the major leagues in 1995, two years after Ryan, 77, ended his 27-year career.
Cowherd was attempting to compare the dominance of Pittsburgh Pirates phenom Paul Skenes, who was named the National League’s starting pitcher in his rookie season, with Ryan, baseball’s all-time strikeout leader.
There is really no comparison to what Skenes is doing. Skenes is the first player to be selected first overall in the draft and make the All-Star team the next season, according to USA Today’s Bob Nightengale. Ryan, meanwhile, didn’t become an All-Star until 1972, seven years after he was drafted in the 12th round in 1965.
Nolan Ryan & Derek Jeter Career Timelines
Ryan played for 27 seasons, from 1966 to 1993. Jeter played 20 seasons, from 1995 to 2014. Jeter spent all 20 of his MLB seasons with the Yankees. Ryan spent time with the New York Mets, California Angels, Houston Astros and Texas Rangers.
Ryan was an eight-time All-Star, a World Series champion, won two ERA titles and was inducted into the Hall of Fame in 1999. Jeter was a 14-time All-Star, five-time World Series champion, five-time Silver Slugger, five-time Gold Glover and was inducted into the Hall of Fame in 2020.
The only time it would have been possible for the two legends to face off would have been 1992 or 1993 when Jeter was in the minor leagues. Even then, Ryan would have had to be on a minor-league rehab assignment or in the minors. Ryan did not pitch in the minor leagues at any point after 1967.
Cowherd’s Baseball Coverage
Two long legendary careers, but they never overlapped. Cowherd is clearly mistaken about when the two legends played. However, his show has not been known for baseball analysis. Cowherd’s interaction with Jeter had surpassed 200,000 views in the first two hours of the original post on X. Additionally, it had been reposted by large outlets like Jomboy and Barstool Baseball.
Last season he went viral for suggesting that a trade for Shohei Ohtani could yield five first-round picks, along with two top prospects and two big league starters. However, first-round draft picks are not tradeable in MLB. The only picks that can be traded are Competitive Balance Draft picks.
Colin Cowherd and Jason McIntyre have an entire conversation about trading draft picks for Shohei Ohtani… which you can’t do in Major League Baseball.
Cowherd also once claimed that Yankees legend Mariano Rivera was a “one-pitch pitcher,” and that the pitch he was referring to was the splitter.
“Obviously Mariano Rivera was great. He was a one-pitch pitcher. If you are a great closer, what is your out pitch? I always think of Mariano. The splitter, he had one pitch, and was the greatest closer of all time,” Cowherd said in 2023.
In reality, Rivera did have a signature pitch, his cutter, but it was not his only pitch. He also threw a fastball and two-seamer, according to none other than Jeter.
“First of all, it’s not one pitch,” Jeter said to The Star-Ledger’s Marc Craig in 2011. “He throws a cutter; he throws a two-seamer; he throws a four-seamer. Mo has perfected the fastball.”
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Yankees Legend Derek Jeter Is Going Viral After Correcting Colin Cowherd