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Yankees captain Jeter bids adieu in Boston

Sep 28, 2014 - 1:10 PM (SportsNetwork.com) - The end of a Hall of Fame baseball career has arrived for New York Yankees captain Derek Jeter.

Five World Series rings, more than 3,000 hits (3,464), several beautiful girlfriends and admiration by all, Jeter will say goodbye to baseball Sunday in the finale of a three-game series against the rival Boston Red Sox at Fenway Park.

Jeter enters the final game of his brilliant career with a .309 batting average, 260 home runs, 544 doubles and 1,923 runs scored. His on-base percentage is .377. Jeter, though, may not reach the bases this afternoon and hopes to shake off a hamstring issue suffered on an infield hit in the third inning of Saturday's 10-4 loss.

"I'll leave it up to him, like I have yesterday and today," Yankees manager Joe Girardi said of Jeter's status for Sunday. "I'll text him in the morning and see what he wants to do."

Girardi also mentioned how he felt about his shortstop's last game.

"There is a sense of sadness for me knowing it's his last game," he said. "You never want to see great players leave."

Jeter, a 14-time All-Star, is unsure how he will feel leaving the game in Boston, especially after Thursday's Bronx sendoff.

"I don't know how it will feel. I can't imagine it feeling like it did in New York," Jeter said. "That has nothing to do where I am, that's just where I played my entire career. New York was as good as it gets."

A 20-year career for the highly respected Jeter will conclude on historic Boston grounds, a place where Jeter tormented the Red Sox faithful countless times with acrobatic plays in the field and clutch hits at the plate.

Missing the playoffs stung for Jeter and the Yankees, and Girardi said nobody is happy about it. Girardi expects better play for next season.

"The bottom line is that we didn't execute well enough in certain situations, and we have to do better," Girardi said. "That's the thing, whether it's getting a runner over and in, making a pitch when you need to make a pitch. We were in a lot of close games.

"If we could have won five or six more, you might be playing next week. We were in so many, you definitely have some you can remember."

The Yankees will try to forget Saturday's drubbing at the hands of the Red Sox, who put the game away with an eight-run second inning and cruised to the victory. Masahiro Tanaka made the start and lasted on 1 2/3 innings, charged with seven runs (5 earned) and seven hits. It was Tanaka's second start after missing time with a balky elbow.

Stephen Drew drove in two runs, while Ichiro Suzuki, Francisco Cervelli, Chase Headley and Chris Young had two hits apiece for the Yankees, who had a two- game win streak stopped and lost for the third time in the past five games.

Taking the hill for New York on Sunday will be Michael Pineda. Pineda is 4-5 with a 1.93 earned run average in 12 starts and his 2014 season will mostly be remembered for a pine tar incident, against Boston early in the season, that cost him a suspension. Pineda was 0-3 in four outings until shutting down Baltimore in Monday's 5-0 win, as he delivered 7 1/3 scoreless innings of one- hit ball with eight K's and a walk.

Pineda is only 1-4 in six road assignments and 1-2 with a lofty 7.50 ERA in three career starts against the Red Sox. The big right-hander is 1-1 in two starts against Boston this season.

The defending World Series champion Red Sox look to close out a disappointing season on a high note and recorded their third victory in four attempts on Saturday. Daniel Nava had three hits and three RBI, and Rusney Castillo went 3-for-3 with an RBI and a run scored in Saturday's win.

Yoenis Cespedes drove in two runs and reached the 100-RBI plateau for the first time in his career.

Red Sox starter Joe Kelly allowed four runs on nine hits over 7 1/3 innings, but it was enough to snag the win.

"For any guy in the rotation, the ability to log innings is a primary goal," Boston manager John Farrell of Kelly. "His efficiency is because he's been able to pitch with his fastball and get some ground-ball outs."

Clay Buchholz will make the start against Jeter and the Yankees Sunday and is 8-10 with a 5.31 earned run average. Buchholz has lost two straight starts after winning three in a row and was ripped for five runs and eight hits in 7 2/3 innings of a 6-2 loss to Tampa Bay on Tuesday.

Buchholz has made 13 home starts this season, going 3-6, and is 5-6 with a 5.62 ERA in 14 career starts against the Yankees. The righty is 0-1 in two starts in this season's series with New York.

The Yankees are 11-7 versus the Red Sox this season.