Published 01/15/2023, 7:50 AM EST
Derek Jeter is widely considered one of the greatest baseball players of all time. From his consistent performance on the field to his measured responses, he was known for being cool and collected. Furthermore, Jeter always came through when his team and teammates needed it the most. He led the New York Yankees from the front and will go down as one of the franchise’s greatest champions.
Many call Jeter one of the best players to have when the team needs a clutch performance or clutch play. Even a renowned MLB hitting coach recently opened up on why Jeter was always such a great clutch-time performer.
Hitting Coach Kevin Long talked about Derek Jeter and his batting ability
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Many consider Derek Jeter to be one of the greatest clutch performers ever. But very few have spoken on why that is the case. Kevin Long, hitting coach for the Philadelphia Phillies, recently opened up on Jeter’s clutch hitting while on ‘The Book of Joe Podcast’. He said that the Yankees legend took advantage of the smallest mistakes and made opposing players pay for them.
Fox Sports Radio shared a snippet of the podcast on Twitter. In it Long said, “Everybody knew what they wanted to do against him, you tried to do it. But if you made one mistake just a little bit over the plate, it was going to get ripped. And I’ll tell you what. If there’s a runner in scoring position late in the game, the ball’s going to find grass in the outfield somehow. That’s just who he was.”
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He also mentioned the mental fortitude that Jeter had, and his ability to hit grounded shots. But recently, a debate erupted on Twitter that divided fans and made them choose between Derek Jeter and Alex Rodriguez. Most people would find that choice extremely difficult, but Jeter has always had something special. He even ended his last game at Yankee Stadium with a clutch play.
Jeter hit a walk-off single to win his last-ever game at Yankee Stadium
In Jeter’s last-ever home game at Yankee Stadium, he hit a walk-off single to win the game for the Yankees. They were tied 5-5 with the Baltimore Orioles when Jeter came up to bat in the bottom of the ninth.
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That is when this clutch hit occurred. According to Bleacher Report “For a legend like Jeter, there couldn’t have been a more perfect ending.” That is why many call Derek Jeter Captain Clutch. What do you think of Kevin Long’s statements on Jeter’s clutch ability? Please share your thoughts in the comments below!