Derek Jeter once lost out in an electoral vote. The position was for the shortstop in the American League All-Star team. Jeter was up against arch-rival Nomar Garciaparra.

Derek Jeter is a baseball legend who played his entire MLB career for the New York Yankees. Jeter is a 14-time All-Star player and five-time World Series champion. Whereas, Nomar Garciaparra is a six-time All-Star player who began playing MLB for the Boston Red Sox. Later, he also played for the Chicago Cubs, Los Angeles Dodgers, and the Oakland Athletics, respectively. 

The incident took place in 1999. Fenway Park was the venue for the MLB All-Star game. The shortstop position in the American League team was up for grabs. The Red Sox supporters wanted to see their beloved Garciaparra play over Jeter at any cost. 

Derek Jeter vs Nomar Garciaparra: Head to head for the shortstop role 

Based on performances and statistics, Derek Jeter was the better candidate. But Jeter was vying for the shortstop’s spot as a Yankee at Fenway Park. There was no way that the Red Sox supporters would allow a Yankee to surpass one of their own. 

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Therefore, the Red Sox supporters voted like their life depended on the outcome. As a result, Nomar Garciaparra won the polling. Interestingly, another candidate at the time was Alex ‘A-Rod’ Rodriguez, who also didn’t make the cut. At that time, ‘A-Rod’ was the Seattle Mariners’ shortstop. ‘A-Rod’ later went on to become Yankees teammates with Jeter. 

Unbothered by the defeat, Jeter still praised the other two candidates, saying, “I guess you’d have to flip a coin. If you could find a three-sided coin.” While Yankees’ then manager Joe Torre said, “Unfortunately, we don’t help our voters as much as everybody else helps theirs, as far as passing out ballots and collecting them.” 

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Meanwhile, speaking to reporters, a surprised Nomar Garciaparra said, “You guys look like you’re as shocked as I am. Derek, look what he’s doing. It’s unbelievable. If you ask me, I think he deserves it.” Regardless of the voting outcome, what matters is that the American League team won the All-Stars game. 

Jeter and Garciaparra in the present 

Jeter retired from baseball in 2014. He turned into the CEO and co-owner of the Miami Marlins in 2017. Jeter departed from the role in 2022. He is busy with his family life. On the other hand, Garciaparra retired back in 2009. Since then, he has continued to work as an analyst. 

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Who do you think was the better choice between Derek Jeter and Nomar Garciaparra?