Yankee Star Goes 2-for-2 at the Plate in His 14th All-Star Game,
Exits to Standing Ovation. The American League won, 5-3.
By Daniel Barbarisi
The Wall Street Journal
MINNEAPOLIS—At his first All-Star Game, in 1998, Derek Jeter was nervous. He had grown up idolizing Cal Ripken, but in three seasons as a major leaguer he had never gotten up the gumption to introduce himself.
"You're afraid to say anything. That's Cal Ripken. I'd played against him, but never had a chance to talk to him," Jeter said.
Finally, he made the connection happen. Now, 16 years later, Jeter is in Ripken's role. At his 14th and final All-Star Game on Tuesday night, the retiring Yankee captain was baseball's elder statesman, its public face, its star attraction. Now the younger stars at Target Field were building up the courage to come up and say hello.
And if they hadn't yet, Jeter wanted them to; he didn't want anyone to avoid him the way he did Ripken. "I hope no one's afraid to say anything," he said. "I try to be as personable and approach as many people as I can."
Since arriving by private jet early Monday morning, Jeter was mobbed nonstop by players, media and fans looking for their moment. He has always enjoyed rock-star status, of course, but this week in Minneapolis became a Jeter frenzy. When he arrived at the ballpark on Tuesday, thousands of fans, many in Jeter jerseys—still MLB's top seller, with Fanatics.com saying sales of Jeter merchandise are up 850% over last season—greeted him.
When the game itself began, National League starting pitcher Adam Wainwright refused to take the mound for a full minute, allowing the crowd to rain down adulation on Jeter. He waved his helmet to the fans, saluted both dugouts, and then promptly went out and ripped a double to right field, scoring moments later when the Angels' Mike Trout smashed a triple off the right field wall.
Wainwright later admitted he had grooved the pitch to give Jeter something to hit.
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