‘It Was Definitely a Relief’- Yankees Icon Derek Jeter Vulnerably Recalls Finally Winning a Championship Ring After Painful 9-Year Wait

Former shortstop and Hall of Famer Derek Jeter is one of the greatest baseball players of all time. He made his debut in 1995 and retired 20 years later, in 2014. He spent his entire 20-year MLB career with the New York Yankees. Markedly, during Jeter’s career, he was a 14-time All-Star, 5-time Golden Glove winner, and most imperatively, he won 5 World Series Championships with the Yankees. The Yankees, out of love and respect, retired Jeter’s jersey number 2 in 2017.

Derek Jeter’s consistent performance and success over those years massively contributed to the New York Yankees’ success during that time. However, the 27-time World Champion team was caught in the middle of a 9-year drought after their World Championship victory in 2000. After the Yankees handed over the captaincy to Jeter in 2003, it was his turn to bring home the ring.

Derek Jeter and his moment of relief

As we know, the Yankees hadn’t won a single World Championship since their 26th World Series title in 2000. In 2001, the Arizona Diamondbacks broke the Yankees’ 3-time World Series victory streak by defeating them in the World Series. They made another World Series appearance in 2003, which they lost to the Florida Marlins.

Since 2003, the Yanks did not make any World Series appearance. Finally, in 2009, crediting the outstanding performance of the Japanese-born hitter, Hideki Matsui, they won the World Series ring against the Philadelphia Phillies. Derek Jeter, on the KayRod Podcast, recalls the painful wait and the pressure on him as captain to win his team the championship. He vulnerably opens up and says, “It was definitely a relief.”

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Jeter spoke about the 9-year-long wait and which fashioned the feeling of relief in 2009. Notably, Hideki Matsui won the World Series MVP. His 6-run contribution in the 6th game of the World Series helped the Pinstripes win the series 4-2 and avoid the final match.

NY Yankees since 2009

Since 2009, the Yankees haven’t won a single World Championship. Not to mention that they are yet to make an appearance in the World Series since then. As a consequence, their 27 World Championships haven’t increased and with the latest consecutive 5 series defeat, the chances only get slimmer.

Suffering from five consecutive series defeats, the Yankees are low in morale. Will they be able to come back and win the championship after 13 years? Or will it be another disappointing season end for this magnificent team? Let us know in the comments below.

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