Derek Jeter gets single in final at-bat, Joe Girardi trolls history (Video)
By Phil Watson
Derek Jeter, batting second as the New York Yankees’ designated hitter in the final game of the season—and his 20-year career—ended it with an RBI infield single in the top of the third inning off Clay Buchholz of the Boston Red Sox.
He was lifted for a pinch-runner and left to a huge ovation from the Fenway Park crowd:
But Yankees manager Joe Girardi just decided to troll baseball history with his choice of pinch-runners: Catcher Brian McCann.
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That would be Brian McCann, owner of 23 stolen bases in 1,244 major-league games, including zero in the last two seasons.
Of course it makes sense to put in McCann to DH for the rest of the game, but still it will make for a humorous trivia question in future years.
It is the second time in McCann’s career he has been used as a pinch-runner. The other was on May 25, 2012, when he was with the Atlanta Braves. McCann was out of the lineup with the flu, but Ross injured his groin on a check swing and was replaced after he drew a walk.
Oddly enough, McCann did not steal a base when used as a pinch-runner in either case.
So Jeter closes the books on his career ranking fifth all-time with 2,595 singles, sixth with 3,465 hits, seventh with 11,195 at-bats and 10th with 12,602 plate appearances and 1,923 runs.
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