Captain’s Countdown: Reax during Jeter’s last week

The Associated Press

Reaction from across the major leagues as Derek Jeter finishes out his career. The New York Yankees’ captain is scheduled to close the season on Sunday at Fenway Park against the Boston Red Sox:

___

“He was the Dos Equis man of MLB, like that guy in that commercial. Basically the most interesting man in the world. He’s always doing these different things that only somebody like him could do.” — Pittsburgh Pirates outfielder Andrew McCutchen, the reigning NL MVP.

___

“Every girlfriend I ever had growing up was in love with him.” — San Francisco Giants outfielder Hunter Pence.

___

“He’s had longevity. He’s had success over a long period of time. He’s had success in the postseason. The teams he’s been on have won. He’s handled everything well. What else can you really ask from a guy? He’s pretty much done it all.” — Los Angeles Dodgers manager Don Mattingly, a former teammate.

___

“I named him. I think it’s a cool name. It’s original.” — Tampa Bay Rays pitcher Jeremy Hellickson on his first dog, a Yorkshire terrier named Jeter.

___

“My first time seeing him was ’03, and here we are in ’14 and it’s the same guy. My debut was in Yankee Stadium, and I wanted to get out there early just to check out Jeter. His groundball routine in September 2003 is the same today. Whew. … Who’s going to replace Jeter? No one. That’s my angle on it. Let’s just say someone’s going to play shortstop. No one’s going to replace him.” — Oakland Athletics outfielder Jonny Gomes.

___

“He’s always been … the word I’ve used to describe him is ‘presidential.’ … Since he’s going to be here, I kind of wanted to reach out to him and see if I could get his phone number.” — Tampa Bay Rays third baseman Evan Longoria. Jeter owns a house in Tampa, Florida.

___

“He said, ‘Congrats, I hope for a great career for you.’ And I said, ‘Thanks, it is a pleasure to meet you.’ And he said, ‘Likewise, keep swinging it.’ So it was good words from him. I just talked to Derek Jeter. Surreal, right?” — Toronto Blue Jays rookie Dalton Pompey, who got his first big league hit last week at Yankee Stadium and spoke to Jeter between innings.

___

“It was as much the fact that he got to a lot of balls that a lot of people didn’t get to, and threw from weird angles, and because of the arm strength at times. He got to balls and made a wild throw because he was off-balance, and I think that was just part of harnessing in.” — Tampa Bay Rays hitting coach Derek Shelton. He played at Class A Greensboro in 1993 when Jeter made 56 errors in 126 games.

___

“You think about all the players that have played the game, and to be a Hall of Fame-caliber type of player is amazing in and of itself, but to never hear a bad word about a person is truly amazing, and I’ve never heard a bad word about Derek.” — New York Yankees manager Joe Girardi.

___

“To see him leave, for me it’s tough. It’s always fun to watch when you turn on the Yankees and you see No. 2 playing shortstop. Now that he’s going to be leaving, it’s going to be tough.” — Los Angeles Angels star Mike Trout.

___

“Never slipping up, never making any mistakes. That’s tough to do in that city for so long. I don’t think anybody’s going to be able to represent the team the way he did with that professionalism.” — Minnesota Twins pitcher Phil Hughes, a former teammate.

___

“He never forgot that he was playing a game. If I was in the batting cage, I’d hear it. He’d always have something to say. If I fouled some pitches off in BP, he’d be like, ‘C’mon Russ, I thought you could hit.” … He used the same bat his entire career. Nobody does that. Nobody. Guys go 0 for 4 and they’re like, ‘I’ve got to change’ and that’s not him.” — Pittsburgh Pirates catcher Russell Martin, a former teammate.

___

“It’s been an honor and a pleasure to share this field with you. We wish you nothing but the best. We have total respect for you and the way you respect the game. We’ve learned a lot from you — and we’ve taken a lot of pain from you.” — Minnesota Twins manager Ron Gardenhire during a presentation to Jeter at Target Field in July.

___

“You could see, even as a young player, that he wasn’t one of those guys that was going to wow you in batting practice. He didn’t have a cannon for a throwing arm. He didn’t have a tool that really just stood out. But he was a winner, and he was always in the right place at the right time.” — Oakland Athletics manager Bob Melvin, a former minor league teammate.

___

“I got it when we were in New York City. I asked him for one specific thing for me and dropped the same line I did on (Tony) Gwynn. I said, ‘I don’t know how good you are, but you’ve been hot for 19 years.'” — Pittsburgh Pirates manager Clint Hurdle, who keeps a signed Jeter ball in his office.

Copyright 2014 The Associated Press. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed.

Federal News Network Logo
Log in to your WTOP account for notifications and alerts customized for you.

Sign up