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“I Was Not Afraid..”: 5x World Series Champion Derek Jeter Once Spilled a Major Mentality Secret Which Explained His Greatness

Published 04/30/2023, 2:03 PM EDT

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Derek Jeter is one of the most phenomenal players to ever grace the MLB world. With amazing skills as a shortstop, Jeter led the New York Yankees as team captain for eleven years. Like any ballplayer, Captain Clutch went through a lot of ups and down throughout his twenty-season career. Luckily for fans, he was never one to be brought down by a loss for long. In fact, he’s as famous for his winning mentality as his ability to lead.

Jeter’s mindset always focused on winning at all costs. He pushed himself to his limits and inspired his teammates to do the same. Easily accepting defeat was just not how he rolled; every loss counted and made for a learning experience. But just because the Hall of Famer focused on winning didn’t mean he never experienced failure or that he always performed well.

Derek Jeter’s unique attitude toward baseball always pushed him to become better

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The Captain once discussed what failure meant to him and how he pushed himself after a loss. Some become dejected when faced with defeat; others thrive in it, challenging themselves to do better next time. Jeter was always in the latter group.

“I was not afraid to fail. I have failed plenty. I have failed in spring training, I have failed in regular season, I have failed in postseason, and in the World Series. But, I am not afraid of it,” the former Yankee once said. “I’ve always had the ability to separate one day from the next. I don’t know if that is something that is innate or if it is something that you learn. But I always looked at that as a strong point.”

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Indeed, since winning and losing are part of a baseballer’s life, one has to accept the outcome of their effort. But after that acceptance comes trying harder, not losing motivation entirely.

The path to success is never easy, and Jeter understands that better than most

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In the twenty seasons that the ex-shortstop played in pinstripes, his team won the World Series five times. Along with a number of other wins, the Yankees were as storied a franchise as ever. But of course, that didn’t mean they won every game they played. They lost a lot too. In fact, they lost so many games over the years that fans turned on them many times.

But Jeter never lost hope. One common thing that most ‘great’ personalities have is that they’re never afraid of challenges. It’s what makes the win even more worth it. And if they lose? Well, they just do better next time!

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WATCH THIS STORY – New York Yankees Legend Derek Jeter Scripted The Perfect End To His Career With This Iconic Walk-off Single

As Jeter said, “You can’t play our sport, and more importantly you can’t play in New York, if you are not mentally strong.” Acceptance is as important as moving on!

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Written by:

Arunima Bhanot

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Arunima Bhanot is an MLB writer at EssentiallySports. Her tryst with MLB was accidental, but what followed was nothing short of a pursuit of excellence. Arunima's articles have been recognized as Editor's Picks on multiple occasions, highlighting her exceptional attention to detail and insightful coverage.
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Edited by:

Debmallya Chakraborty