Derek Jeter

Derek Sanderson Jeter (born June 26, 1974 in Pequannock, New Jersey) is the current starting shortstop for the New York Yankees baseball team and a six-time All-Star.

Memorable postseason player

Throughout his career, Jeter has been known as one of the best postseason players in baseball history. Since arriving in the majors in 1996, Jeter's Yankees have been in the playoffs every year (winning the AL East Division all but once) and have won 6 AL Championships and 4 World Series Championships. Jeter's teams have also won 17 of the 22 postseason series they've played in, and have compiled a remarkable overall postseason record of 72-38. Jeter's personal postseason performance has been a major factor in the Yankees' success. As of 2005, Jeter has a career .306 postseason batting average and ranks among the leaders in many postseason categories: 2nd in runs, 1st in hits, 2nd in total bases, 2nd in doubles, 7th in home runs, 6th in RBIs, 5th in walks, 1st in singles, and 6th in stolen bases.

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Some of Jeter's most memorable moments have come in postseason play. These include his eighth inning, game-tying faux home run against Baltimore in Game 1 of the 1996 ALCS, his shovel pass in Game 3 of the 2001 ALDS against Oakland, and his game-winning, tenth-inning home run off Arizona's Byung-Hyun Kim in Game 4 of the 2001 World Series. The home run briefly earned Jeter the moniker, "Mr. November," as it came 4 minutes after midnight on November 1. Due to the September 11, 2001 attacks, it was the first Major League game to be played in the month of November. Jeter has hit above .300 in 14 of the 22 postseason series he's played in, including 4 of his last 6 (.500 in the 2002 ALDS, .429 in the 2003 ALDS, .346 in the 2003 World Series, and .316 in the 2004 ALDS), further solidifying his reputation as a "clutch" player.

Related Topics:
Arizona - Byung-Hyun Kim - November 1 - September 11, 2001 attacks

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Uncharacteristically, Jeter struggled during the 2004 ALCS against Boston, batting only .200 in a series in which the Yankees would notably become the first team in MLB history to lose a best-of-seven series after taking a 3-games-to-nothing-lead.

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