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Derek Jeter Writes Thank You Letter to New York Before Yankees Number Retirement
May 11, 2017
Ahead of his No. 2 jersey retirement Sunday at Yankee Stadium, New York Yankees legend Derek Jeter wrote a thank you letter to the Big Apple for the Players' Tribune on Wednesday.
In the letter, Jeter thanked the New York faithful for welcoming him with open arms: "Thank you, New York, for asking a lot of me. For challenging me. For giving this kid a place to grow up. I wasn't born a New Yorker—you asked me to earn it. I wasn't born a Yankee, but you made me into one."
The Players' Tribune also created a video featuring New Yorkers reading Jeter's letter:
Jeter grew up in Kalamazoo, Michigan, but The Captain made it clear that New York left an everlasting impression on him: "Today I'm no longer that kid. I've hung up my uniform, and I know this much for a fact: I wouldn't be the person I am today without you. Because the truth is, no matter where you go in the world, when a place feels like home, as New York does to me, you never really leave. It will always be with you."
The 42-year-old former shortstop is among the greatest and most celebrated players in the storied history of the Yankees franchise. He is a 14-time All-Star, a World Series MVP and a five-time World Series champion.
Jeter retired following the 2014 season, and he currently sits sixth on the all-time career hits list with 3,465 behind only Pete Rose, Ty Cobb, Hank Aaron, Stan Musial and Tris Speaker.
When the Yankees retire Jeter's No. 2 in a ceremony prior to Sunday's game against the Houston Astros, they will become the first MLB team to retire every single-digit jersey number.