Derek Jeter: 5 best moments of career

4. “The Flip”

October 13, 2001

In 2001, Jeter had another solid all-around season. He hit .311/.377/.480 with 21 home runs, 74 RBI and 27 stolen bases, and scored 110 runs. The Yankees finished 95-65 and won the AL East for the fourth time in a string of nine consecutive years. They would also make it to the World Series for the fourth straight season.

But New York’s opportunity to win four World Championships in a row was on life support in the AL Division Series. The Oakland Athletics – the team that would go on to be known as the Moneyball A’s because of the book Michael Lewis wrote about their season – took a 2-0 lead in the five-game series after winning Games 1 and 2 at Yankee Stadium.

With a chance to sweep the three-time defending World Series champions, the A’s trailed the Yankees 1-0 in the bottom of the seventh inning of Game 3. Yankees starter Mike Mussina got Jermaine Dye to pop up to begin the inning, then retired Eric Chavez on a fly ball to center before Jeremy Giambi singled to right field.

With Giambi on first, Terrence Long ripped a double down the right field line. Shane Spencer picked up the ball in the corner and launched a throw toward home, missing both cutoff men, first baseman Tino Martinez and second baseman Chuck Knoblauch.

However, Jeter anticipated the overthrow and raced from seemingly nowhere to grab the ball midway up the first base line before flipping it to Jorge Posada covering home plate. Posada tagged Giambi out before he could score, and the Yankees secured the lead in what would be a 1-0 victory.

New York won again in Oakland the following night, and captured the series with a 5-3 victory in Game 5 in the Bronx.