A Hall of Fame Shortstop, Through and Through

Over the years, Derek Jeter took plenty of criticism for his fielding. But his spot at the center of a Yankees dynasty was far from coincidental.

When it was all over in New York, after he singled home the winning run on his final swing, Derek Jeter at last turned nostalgic. For two decades, he had been the master of the moment, always pushing forward, never lingering on what it all meant. But now he had given his last performance on his favorite stage. So Jeter took a final visit to his happy place, shortstop at Yankee Stadium. He had been feted with goodbye gifts at other stops in that 2014 season, but all he wanted from the Bronx was a mental snapshot. He crouched on the grass, just beyond the lip of the dirt, said a prayer of thanks, and drank it in. “I want to take something special from Yankee Stadium,” Jeter said later. “The view from shortstop here, tonight, is what I want to take from it.”