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Yankee Down: Derek Jeter Done For Season After Injuring Ankle
By
Ben Yakas
Published Oct 14, 2012
Modified Oct 14, 2012
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By
Ben Yakas
Published Oct 14, 2012
Modified Oct 14, 2012
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No amount of autographed baseballs is going to make this one go down any easier: after rallying to tie the game in the bottom of the 9th inning last night, the Yankees ended up losing to the Detroit Tigers 6-4 in the first game of the ALCS. But even worse, seemingly invulnerable captain and ladies man Derek Jeter will miss the rest of the playoffs after suffering a fractured left ankle while trying to make a diving play in the climactic 12th inning. But at least they still have...A-Rod? Gulp.
“It is kind of a flashback to when Mo didn’t get up,” manager Joe Girardi said after the game, referring to Mariano Rivera's injury earlier this season. “It brought me back there: ‘Oh boy, if he is not getting up, something’s wrong.’ ” “We go from being elated — we’re back in this thing — to losing Jeter,” said Raul Ibanez, who hit the game-tying two-run home run in the ninth. “It’s a huge blow. It was a very difficult thing to watch.”
"For him to lay down on that field, I knew something was broke or torn completely," said Game 1 starter and Yankees veteran Andy Pettitte. "When I saw him not get up, I knew he was done, really. That doesn't surprise me at all...It's bad. It's a bad loss. Obviously, it's your captain and we got a game tomorrow. We got to move forward and guys are going to step up to play out there. Just have to do a good job for us."
It'll take Jeter at least three months recovery time to bounce back from the injury, ensuring he'll miss the rest of the playoffs regardless of how far the Yankees go. And who knows what kind of player Jeter will be when he returns. General manager Brian Cashman said Jayson Nix would start in Jeter’s place: “The bottom line is Derek’s down and I’m in, so that’s an opportunity for me,” Nix said. “It’s time to do what I can do, and I’m excited for it.”
Girardi summed up Jeter's toughness: "Even when I went to the field and I was going to carry him in, and he said, 'No, don't carry me.' That is the kind of guy he is," Girardi said. "He is going to play through injuries and everything. And you can see the disappointment in his face. Everyone in this room knows who he is." He added sadly, “I don’t want to be without him. Nobody in that room wants to be without him. But we have to move on.”
Tagged
ankle
baseball
derek jeter
injury
mlb
playoffs
sports
Yankees
Ben Yakas
Ben Yakas is a former Gothamist reporter.
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Gothamist is funded by sponsors and member donations
Gothamist is funded by sponsors and member donations
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