NEED TO KNOW
Derek Jeter says he told the fan who caught his 3,000th career hit to “get as much” as he could from the New York Yankees in exchange for the priceless piece of sports memorbilia
The legendary shortstop, who caught up with PEOPLE about his new BetMGM partnership, said he “didn’t expect” to get the baseball back 14 years ago when he hit the homer in Yankee Stadium
“He thought it was the right thing to do. It was definitely very, very much appreciated,” Jeter says, following the anniversary of the moment
It’s been 14 years since Derek Jeter joined baseball’s exclusive 3,000-hit club, slamming a homer into the left-field bleachers of Yankee Stadium and etching his name into the MLB’s history books.
On the receiving end of that moment on July 9, 2011 was Christian Lopez, a then-23-year-old New York Yankees fan who opted to give the ball back to Jeter, instead of trying to sell the potentially priceless piece at auction. As a result, the Yankees awarded the fan with box seats for the remainder of the season, memorabilia signed by Jeter himself and yes, he also got his own baseball card from Topps, per ABC News and CBS News.
As Jeter, now 51, tells PEOPLE following the anniversary of his 3,000th hit, he didn’t expect the generosity, and even gave Lopez some words of advice after he caught the homer.
“Yeah, it [did mean a lot],” Jeter says, following the announcement of his latest partnership with BetMGM. “Because I remember I hit my first home run in the major leagues in Cleveland, and the fan would not give the ball back. And this was my first opening day, so no one knew it was ever going to be worth anything. It’s just, you wanted your first home run ball. And the fan, he wouldn’t give it up.”
That wasn’t the case when Jeter earned his 3,000th career hit. And it didn’t go unappreciated by The Captain.
“I guess when I got to 3,000, I didn’t expect that to happen,” he adds of Lopez’s good deed. “But as you mentioned, Christian was a huge Yankee fan. He thought it was the right thing to do. It was definitely very, very much appreciated.”
“And even at the time, I told him to get as much as he can from the Yankees as he could.”
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Andrew Theodorakis/NY Daily News via Getty
Derek Jeter shakes hands with Christian Lopez in 2011
Much of Jeter’s family was in attendance at Yankee Stadium when he hit the homer, but not everyone could make it. His first phone call after the moment, he recalls, was to his mom and sister who had to miss for another family milestone.
“My dad was at the game. But my nephew, he was getting baptized, and so my mom was with my sister so I called them,” he says. “Most of my family and friends were at the game, but they missed it, so they were my first phone call.”
Jeter memorabilia often fetches high prices following his 2014 retirement and 2020 induction into the National Baseball Hall of Fame. Just last week, the ball that earned Jeter the nickname “Mr. November” — used in the bottom of the 10th inning of Game 4 of the 2001 World Series, and hit by Jeter into right field, was listed at auction. The ball sold earlier this week for $158,600 with a buyer’s premium.
Rob Tringali/MLB via Getty
Derek Jeter celebrates his 3,000th career hit with teammates on July 9, 2011
As for where Jeter keeps his 3,000th hit these days, though, he’s not giving anything away.
“I can’t tell you, man,” he jokes with PEOPLE. “Yeah, I’m not telling you where it is. I don’t know you well enough yet.”
Read the original article on People
