Derek Jeter’s 3,000th hit finally arrived and was part of one of the All-Star shortstop’s best days ever at the plate. After flirting with the mark over the past week that saw a rainout and a hitless night at the plate, Jeter finished the afternoon going 5-for-5 and treated the sellout crowd to hit No. 3,000, 3001, 3002 and 3,003.
Oh and hit No. 3,000 happened to be a home run into the upper deck in left field and hit No. 3003 was a game-winner in the eighth inning.
Jeter becomes the first 3,000 hit man in New York Yankees’ history in a career that started with a single to left field on 
May 30, 1995, a season that he would finish with 12 hits. The following season he would be considered a rookie and finished with 183 hits to earn the AL Rookie of the Year award.
The Derek Jeter rookie card is shown here.
Although Jeter has no batting title to his credit, he has been a consistent contributor and currently has an impressive .313 career average.
Here are a few other facts:
- Former Yankees player Wade Boggs also put his 3,000 hit over the fence (in 1999) but did it as a player for the Tampa Bay Rays.
- While Jeter became the 28th MLB player to get to the 3,000-hit plateau only 14 of those players on that list have done it in one uniform.
- Jeter became the first guy in pinstripes to reach the mark.
Although many are critical of Jeter getting named to the 2011 All-Star Game roster during this underachieving season, by the time the day was over the shortstop raised his season batting average to .270 with 24 RBIs and reminded us that he still puts butts in the seats.
And to achieve a feat that guys by the name of Mickey Mantle, Babe Ruth, Yogi Berra and Joe DiMaggio couldn’t, adds even more to the accomplishment.
Used with permission of the author.
Jay Donetelli is a Tampa-based freelance sportswriter and contributor to Sports Climax. With an opinion sharper than an Ovechkin skate blade with the sting of an Ali jab, Donetelli has a loyal cult of readers who have found a way to love him.
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