Derek Jeter Gets 3,000th Hit: The 10 Most Memorable Hits of Jeter's Career

As I sit here and write this, Derek Jeter just got another hit, and is 4-for-4 on this memorable day.

Derek Jeter has had a lot of memorable days as a member of the New York Yankees.

From captain of the team to "Captain Clutch," from the regular season to the postseason, the Michigan native has come through with clutch hit after clutch hit.

With 3,004 possibilities, narrowing it down to 10 is no easy task.

But let's take a crack at it, shall we?

After the jump, the 10 most memorable hits of Derek Jeter's career—so far.

10. April 2, 1996: It Is High, It Is Far, It Is...Gone!

Playing in only 15 games during the 1995 season, Derek Jeter saw five of his 12 hits go for extra bases—four doubles and a triple.

It would not be until opening day of the 1996 season that Jeter would go yard.

Entering the fifth inning, the Yankees had a 1-0 lead over Dennis Martinez and the Cleveland Indians with the youngster stepping into the box.

Jeter would deposit Martinez' third pitch into the bleachers in left field, giving the Yankees a 2-0 lead and Jeter the first of his 237 career home runs.

9. May 26, 2006: Will It Count?

Jeter would record two hits on the day to reach 2,000, but it almost did not count.

Whether or not hit No. 1,999 against Kansas City Royals starter Scott Elarton in the fifth inning would stand was left up to the official scorer, Bill Shannon.

Jeter had hit one back to Elarton, that rolled toward the 3B line. Royals catcher Paul Bako picked up the ball, spun around and threw the ball away trying to catch the speedy Jeter at 1B.

Shannon would rule it a hit, and Jeter would again step in the box to face Elarton in the bottom of the seventh.

Elarton's fourth pitch of the at bat would end up rolling into center field for hit No. 2,000—becoming only the eighth Yankee to accomplish that feat.

8. June 18, 2005: Ain't Life Grand?

Entering the inter-league game against the Chicago Cubs, Derek Jeter's career numbers with the bases loaded were impressive: a .333 average and 114 RBI.

What was missing?

Something other than a zero in the HR column.

Up 3-1 entering the bottom of the sixth inning, the Yankees would chase Cubs starter Glendon Rusch from the game and get into their bullpen.

A leadoff walk by Jorge Posada and subsequent single by Bernie Williams ended Rusch's day, and reliever Rich Hill would enter.

After striking out 1B Tino Martinez, Hill would walk 2B Robinson Cano, leading to another pitching change and the emergence of Joe Borowski from the Cubs bullpen.

With the bases loaded and nowhere to put Jeter, Borowksi had to pitch to him.

Jeter would send Borowski's fourth pitch into the left-field bleachers, giving the Yankees a comfortable 7-1 lead and finally hitting his first career grand slam.

7. May 30, 1995: The Beginning

All trips, regardless of whether they be physical, mental or spiritual, have three things in common.

All have a beginning, a middle, and an end.

For Derek Jeter, the beginning of his story starts a night earlier, on May 29, 1995.

Hitting ninth in the lineup, behind the man hitting eighth, Bernie Williams, Jeter would struggle against the Seattle Mariners—finishing the night without a hit in five at bats—in a game the Yankees lost 8-7 in extra innings, while racking up 11 hits.

After striking out against Mariners starter Tim Belcher in the second inning, Jeter stepped to the plate leading off the top of the fifth.

Jeter would hit Belcher's first pitch through the hole between SS and 3B, with the ball ending up in left field and Jeter on 1B with his first career hit.

6. October 25, 2000: The Bronx Has No Manners...Says Queens

Appearing in their first World Series since 1986, the New York Mets welcomed the New York Yankees into Shea Stadium for Game 4 of the 2000 World Series.

Down two-games-to-one, the Mets were looking to get ahead early against Yankees starter Denny Nagle.

Unfortunately for the Mets, Yankee captain Derek Jeter had other ideas in mind.

Jeter would deposit the first pitch Mets starter Bobby Jones would throw into the left-field bleachers, giving the Yankees a 1-0 lead and their eventual fourth World Series championship in five years.

5. August 16, 2009: Nobody's Done It Better

Another game the Yankees would lose, this time 10-3 at the hands of the Seattle Mariners, but another memorable hit for the Yankee captain.

Mariners starter Doug Fister would come inside on Jeter with his fifth pitch of the at bat in the top of the third inning, one that Jeter was able to muscle down the right field for an RBI double, hit No. 2,685 on his career and 2,674 as a shortstop.

With that double, Jeter passed Hall of Famer SS Luis Aparicio, becoming baseball's hit leader amongst SS.

You can argue that Jeter is not the best all-around SS of all-time, but the stats don't lie—Jeter is the best hitter who ever played the position.

4. September 11, 2008: Passing the Iron Horse

Even though they would end up losing the game 6-2 to the Chicago White Sox, Jeter's fifth inning ground-ball single off of White Sox starter Jon Garland would be momentous.

With that single, hit No. 2,722, Jeter surpassed the iconic Lou Gehrig and became the all-time hits leader for the New York Yankees.

The grounder puts Jeter ahead of names like Ruth, the aforementioned Gehrig, DiMaggio and Mantle. Not just great players—we are talking about iconic figures.

Just another day at the office for the captain.

3. October 31-November 1, 2001: Ghosts, Goblins, and Mr. November

With fans in costume, the aura of Halloween and the Yankees in an unfamiliar position—down two games to one in a World Series, things were eerie at Yankee Stadium.

A game that started in October would end after midnight on the first day of November and earn Jeter another moniker—"Mr. November."

After a two-run blast by 1B Tino Martinez in the bottom of the ninth that tied the game at three, Arizona Diamondbacks closer Byung-Hun Kim was still throwing as the game entered the bottom of the twelfth inning.

After getting 3B Scott Brosius and 2B Alfonso Soriano to harmlessly fly out, Jeter would work his way to a 3-2 count against Kim.

On the ninth pitch of the at bat, Jeter hits a game-winning and series tying home run off of the speechless Kim. While the Yankees would eventually lose the series, Jeter made sure it was not without a fight from the defending champions.

2. July 9, 2011: Rarefied Air

Correction: As I sit here and write this, Derek Jeter has now gone 5-5.

Amazing.

Not that there was any question as to whether or not Derek Jeter was going to be enshrined in the Baseball Hall of Fame, what he has achieved today only adds to his legacy.

Jeter drove...no, crushed a third inning pitch from Tampa Bay starter David Price 420 feet into the left-field bleachers for hit 3,000, becoming only the 28th player to ever reach that total.

With his five hits today, Jeter moves into 27th place all-time, as he surpasses the legendary Roberto Clemente and is four behind another legend, Hall of Famer Al Kaline.

1. October 9, 1996: The Jeffrey Maier Incident

Did Jeffrey Maier change the face of history, and the fate of two franchises?

Was he possessed by one of the ghosts roaming the old Yankee Stadium?

Yes, yes, and most likely.

In Game 1 of the 1996 ALCS, the Yankees trailed the Baltimore Orioles 4-3 entering the bottom of the eighth inning.

Orioles manager Davey Johnson makes three player changes—bringing in Armando Benitez to face the 8-9-1 hitters in the Yankee lineup, bringing in Mike Deveraux to replace B.J. Surhoff in left field and bringing in Tony Tarasco to replace Bobby Bonilla in right field.

After striking out Jim Leyritz on five pitches, Derek Jeter took the first thing he saw from Benitez and deposited the ball just over the right field wall and the outstretched arm of Tarasco.

Or so we thought.

Video replay confirms what the entire Orioles team was screaming at the umpires, most notably Richie Garcia, who was standing mere feet from Tarasco in the right field corner—a fan interfered and Jeter's home run should not count.

Judge for yourself, but it certainly appears that a 12-year-old boy, one who was overcome with excitement and lost in the moment, changed history.

Without question, the most memorable "hit" of Jeter's career—so far.

Closing Thoughts

Jeter has had so many memorable moments, so many big hits, it is virtually impossible to get them all into a Top 10 list.

Did I leave out one of your favorite Jeter hits?

What are your thoughts on the captain as he reaches the 3,000 hit milestone?

Let's talk about them in comments below.

Finally....congratulations Derek Jeter.