Jeter finishes career with RBI single

Sep 28, 2014 - 10:05 PM Boston, MA (SportsNetwork.com) - Derek Jeter's career came to an end Sunday in Boston and the retiring New York Yankees shortstop left the field for the final time after an RBI single.

Jeter was honored by the Red Sox prior to the game and was in the lineup as the designated hitter in his customary No. 2 slot in the batting order.

He hit a stinging line drive off Boston starter Clay Buchholz in the first inning, but it was right at shortstop Jemile Weeks. In the third inning, with a runner on third, Jeter hit a chopper off the plate toward third base and legged out the infield single to chase home Ichiro Suzuki.

Yankees manager Joe Girardi motioned toward Jeter at first to see if he wanted to exit and the Yankees captain trotted off the field for the last time. He motioned toward the Red Sox bench, then shook hands with Buchholz as he headed toward the dugout and received nothing but cheers from the Fenway Park faithful.

"To be honest, I tried to chop it off the plate and get a hit," Jeter joked after the game during a press conference. "I knew that was my last at-bat and I was trying to get a hit. I'm just happy that I ended my career with a hit."

Jeter finished his brilliant 20-year career with 3,465 hits -- sixth on the all-time list. A 14-time All-Star and five-time World Series champion, he will finish his career a .310 lifetime hitter in 2,747 games.

The Yankees won the game, 9-5, and Jeter said he was more than happy with the way things ended.

"It felt like the time was right," Jeter said about how he felt when taking off the uniform for the last time. "My emotions were so all over the place on Thursday in New York. When I got here I was ready. I was ready for my career to be over with. I'm ready for this to be the end."

The New Jersey native was the AL Rookie of the Year in 1996 when the Yankees won their first World Series since 1978 and first of four championships in a five-year span. The last title came in 2009.

"Fun. I had a blast," Jeter said when asked to describe his career. "There isn't a thing I would change."

Prior to Sunday's season-finale, the Red Sox held a 30-minute ceremony to honor Jeter.

The Red Sox introduced the Yankees captain to the crowd with the theme to "The Natural" and several Red Sox greats, including Carl Yastrzemski, Jim Rice, Fred Lynn, Luis Tiant, Jason Varitek and Tim Wakefield, came out to greet Jeter.

Three Boston legends from other sports -- Bobby Orr of the Bruins, Paul Pierce of the Celtics and Troy Brown of the Patriots -- also were part of the ceremony.

Current Red Sox third base coach Brian Butterfield, a coach in the Yankee system when Jeter was in the minor leagues, presented Jeter with a pair of boots from LL Bean, before the entire Red Sox team -- led by David Ortiz -- came out of the dugout to shake hands with their long-time rival.

Dustin Pedroia gave Jeter a base with a pinstriped No. 2 on top, while Jeter also received a metal placard from the Green Monster with the word "RE2PECT" on it. The team also gave Jeter a check for $22,222.22 for his Turn 2 Foundation.

"This was a place where we've been an enemy for a long, long time," said Jeter about the cheering from the fans during the pregame festivities. "For them to flip the script, it made me feel proud that I was a part of this rivalry."

Pete Frates, a former Boston College baseball team captain diagnosed with Amyotrophic Lateral Sclerosis (ALS) who was largely responsible for the viral impact of this summer's Ice Bucket Challenge, also joined the ceremony.