New York Yankees captain Derek Jeter is already a star, but it seems he has talent suitable for Broadway as well as the Bronx.
Jeter delivered a showstopping portrayal of a batter hit by a pitch as the Yankees battled the Rays on Wednesday night.
Howling in pain, Jeter even called for the team trainer to take a look at his left arm, then headed to first base on the umpire’s instructions.
Eagle-eyed Tampa Bay fans, however, chanted: “Jeter Cheater!” as their suspicions that the ball thrown by Chad Qualls hit Jeter’s bat, not Jeter’s arm, were borne out by video replays. Major League Baseball doesn’t use instant replay in such situations.
Jeter was honest, and cheerfully unrepentant, after the contest.
Asked where the ball hit, Jeter said: “The bat. It’s part of the game.”
The theatrics from Jeter, often hailed as a model of sportsmanship in a steroid-tainted era — seemed to delight as many as they dismayed.
Tampa Bay manager Joe Maddon was in both camps. He argued so much he got ejected from the game. However, he praised Jeter after the Rays rallied past the Yankees 4-3 to take over first place in the American League East division.
“There’s several thespians throughout baseball,” Maddon said.
“I thought Derek did a great job, and I applaud it, because I wish our guys would do the same thing,” he said.
While both the Yankees and Rays were idle on Thursday, Jeter was playing across the country.
On the Cincinnati Reds’ telecast of their game against Arizona, a fan text poll asked: “Are you OK with the Derek Jeter play?”
Fans were divided.
“What can you do? My job is to get on base,” Jeter said. “[The umpire] said it hit me, so I’m not going to argue with him...”
“I’ve been hit before when they said it hit the bat. It goes both ways,” he added.
Qualls, however, was put out that Jeter wasn’t called out.
“Basically it hit the knob and it was a fair ball, and he was out at first. That’s all there is to it,” Qualls said. “He’s Derek Jeter, but you know what? It’s still the game of baseball and he was out, and that’s the play that should have been called.”
The Rays and Yankees play four more games in New York next week.
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