Derek Jeter hit a home run in the third inning Saturday to become the 28th player in major league history to reach the 3,000 hit plateau.Then, the Yankees shortstop won the game. Jeter finished 5-for-5 with a go-ahead RBI single in the eighth inning, a double and a pair of runs scored to lead New York to a 5-4 win over the Tampa Bay Rays at Yankee Stadium.
A fitting crown for the captain, on a sunny afternoon when it seemed he could do anything he wanted.He lined his first home run of the year at Yankee Stadium. He tied a career high going 5 for 5. He singled home the go-ahead run in the eighth inning. And, for good measure, he stole a base.
Jeter became the first player to reach the milestone while wearing Yankees pinstripes and the second player to homer for his 3,000th hit, joining former teammate Wade Boggs, who accomplished the feat in 1999 with Tampa Bay. He became only the second player to record five hits in the game in which he reached 3,000 and first since Craig Biggio in 2007.
With 3,003 hits, Jeter passed Roberto Clemente (3,000) for 27th place on the all-time hits list. "I think we all thought, 'Wow, he really knows how to do it,'" Yankees manager Joe Girardi said of his shortstop's historic feat. "This is a guy who has always been a big-time player in a big moment."
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