Yankees' Derek Jeter Ties Franchise Record for Career Doubles
With a fourth-inning leadoff two-bagger Tuesday night against the Tampa Bay Rays, Derek Jeter of the New York Yankees tied the franchise's all-time doubles record, per MLB.com.
Both Jeter and Lou Gehrig now sit atop the Yankees' leaderboard with 534 doubles, with Bernie Williams a distant third at 449. A few more recognizable names round out the top five, namely current Los Angeles Dodgers manager Don Mattingly sitting fourth (442) and all-time great Babe Ruth at fifth (424). Other notable Yankees whom Jeter has surpassed over his career include Joe DiMaggio (389) and Mickey Mantle (344).
Despite becoming the 28th member of MLB's 3,000-hit club last season, the active leader in total hits hasn't been known as a doubles hitter for most of his career. Jeter, who has never once led the majors in doubles in a single year, is just one two-bagger above the league average during his career.
Jeter is four doubles below the league average so far in the 2014 campaign, and if the pace continues, it would be his 11th season of this variety, which would place him second on the Yankees' all-time list in the category. The Captain is in clear danger of being the only member of the 3,000-hit club who is below-average in terms of doubles.
As these numbers show, Jeter's spot atop the franchise doubles list is a record that has more to do with longevity than anything else, as he's called New York home for all 20 of his major league seasons. The achievement adds further weight to his other major accomplishments, which include 13 All-Star Game appearances, five Silver Sluggers, five Gold Gloves and the 1996 Rookie of the Year award, to name a few.
All stats courtesy of the Complete Baseball Encyclopedia unless otherwise specified.
