(Getty)
Just how the Yankees drew it up.
The Bronx Bombers blew a 3-run lead in the top of the ninth in Thursday’s game against the Baltimore Orioles, denying manager Joe Girardi the chance to take Jeter out of the game to what would have surely been a rousing ovation in his last game at Yankee Stadium.
But Jeter had an even better ending in mind.
David Robertson’s blown save set the stage for Jeter to come up third in the ninth, and the Captain delivered with a walk-off single in a 6-5 Yankees win. Jeter drove in the Yanks’ first run of the night with an RBI double in the first inning, then ended it eight innings later when he lined a single to right field, scoring pinch-runner Antoan Richardson.
It was a heck of a time for Jeter to come up with his first walk-off hit in seven years.
Here’s the video:
And here’t the obligatory video with the John Sterling audio call:
Jeter was mobbed by his teammates after the hit, then greeted by a collection of former teammates that included Mariano Rivera, Jorge Posada and Andy Pettite, along with former manager Joe Torre.
When everyone else subsided, Jeter stood alone on the field, waving to the roaring crowd as Frank Sinatra’s “My Way” and then Sinatra’s “New York, New York” blared from the Stadium loudspeakers.
Jeter hugged his girlfriend, mom, dad, sister and nephew, then tipped his cap as he exited into the first-base dugout one more time.
He announced after the game that he would serve as the designated hitter during the Yankees’ season-ending three-game series in Boston, meaning Thursday night was his last game at shortstop.