New York Yankees shortstop Derek Jeter's latest present on his retirement tour came from the commissioner's office, as outgoing MLB boss Bud Selig presented the future Hall of Famer with the Commissioner's Historic Achievement Award.
The honor was announced at a press conference before Tuesday's game with the Baltimore Orioles—Jeter's last home series as an active player. Mark Feinsand of the New York Daily News was on hand as Selig also presented Jeter a check for $222,222 for his Turn 2 Foundation:
The Yankees shortstop, who announced in February that 2014 would be his last MLB season, is the 15th person in history to receive the award and second within the last month. Selig honored legendary announcer Vin Scully on Sept. 5 for his 65 years of broadcasting baseball—most notably with the Los Angeles Dodgers.
The Commissioner's Historic Achievement Award is designed to honor players, teams and other major contributors to the sport who have made a wide-reaching impact. The first award was presented to Mark McGwire and Sammy Sosa after their 1998 race to Roger Maris' record of 61 home runs.
Roger Clemens, Rickey Henderson and Mariano Rivera are among the other players to spend a significant portion of their careers in New York to receive the award. Selig honored Rivera last year as part of his own retirement tour. (Ichiro Suzuki, currently an outfielder for the Yankees, was given the Commissioner's Historic Achievement Award while a member of the Seattle Mariners in 2005.)
Unlike his close friend Rivera, Jeter's final MLB season has been bittersweet on a personal level. He is setting full-season career lows across the board, batting .256/.304/.313 with four home runs and 46 RBI coming into Tuesday night. Last week Jeter broke a streak of 28 straight at-bats without a hit—the second-longest such drought of his career.
As their captain has struggled, so have the Yankees, as their playoff hopes are all but dead. At 81-75, New York is four games behind the Kansas City Royals for the AL's second wild-card spot with six games remaining. With the Cleveland Indians and Seattle Mariners between the Yankees and Royals, New York will likely miss the playoffs in back-to-back seasons for the first time since Jeter came up to the majors in 1995.
With his team on a downward trend, Jeter's highs have mostly come off the field. He's been honored by nearly every organization across baseball, and the Yankees held a special Derek Jeter Day on Sept. 7. With Jeter flanked by Yankees legends, former teammates and even Michael Jordan, the team gave him numerous prizes and awards—most notably a donation to Turn 2 similar to the one Selig gave Tuesday.
"It was awesome. It was something that I'll always remember," Jeter told reporters. "The Yankees know how to throw good ceremonies. To be a part of it, having all those people come out and show their support, and the fans the way they've treated me—this is a day that I'll remember forever."
Jeter plays his last game at Yankee Stadium on Thursday night. After that it's one more series at Fenway Park against the Boston Red Sox. Like him or loathe him, there's a reason Jeter is only the 15th recipient of the commissioner's honor. His achievements put him alongside the greats in Yankees history and among the best of his generation.
Baseball will quickly move on, but it's fair to say it'll be losing a generational draw in Jeter.
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