Melting our hearts! Derek Jeter accomplished a major milestone upon being elected into the Baseball Hall of Fame for his athletic career — and he got to celebrate the historic moment with his family by his side.
In a video posted by The Players’ Tribune to Facebook on Wednesday, January 22, the baseball star was shown receiving the big news over the phone from Jack O’Connell of the Baseball Writers’ Association of America. Derek, 45, was accompanied by his wife, Hannah Jeter, daughters, Bella and Story, and parents, Sanderson Charles Jeter and Dorothy Jeter.
“You’re gonna be doing well in about in about two seconds,” O’Connell said. “Baseball Writers elected you to the Hall of Fame. Congratulations.”
The Miami Marlins co-owner then offered up a “thank you” to O’Connell for the honor, and added: “Jack, you know what? I always look forward to seeing you and hearing your voice. But for selfish reasons, your voice sounds a little bit better today.”
It was announced on Tuesday, January 21, that Derek was elected into the 2020 Hall of Fame class. The decision to include the former New York Yankees shortstop was nearly unanimous, with the exception of one single vote from the 397 ballots.
The New Jersey-born athlete had an impressive 20-year run with the Yankees until 2014. He retired from the sport in 2014 with 3,465 career hits, five World Series titles and is a 14-time American League All-Star. His uniform number, No. 2, was officially retired by the Yankees in May 2017.
“From the outset, he played the game the right way, and his confidence was contagious. So often it felt that he would not be denied, and that belief rubbed off on his teammates, leading to so many victories over so many years,” Brian Cashman, the Yankees’ senior vice president and general manager, said in a statement to MLB.com on Tuesday. “He provided countless memories for our fans, and it’s clear how much he will always mean to them. Thanks to Derek, we reached the pinnacle of the baseball world five times, and he will forever be a defining player of his generation. Congratulations on an honor well-earned.”
After his MLB retirement in 2014, Derek and Hannah, who wed in 2016, welcomed Bella, 2, in 2017 and Story, 11 months, in January 2019. He gushed about his daughters to Us Weekly exclusively in April 2019, noting how “awesome” it’s been to be their parents.
“You always hear people say, ‘Wait until you have your own kids,’ but it really is true. I couldn’t be happier,” he said. “I’ve been blessed to have two beautiful daughters and I’m looking forward to seeing them grow each and every day.”
