Derek Jeter came to the stage to a rousing ovation when it was his turn to make his speech after being officially inducted into the Hall of Fame on Wednesday, one of his first New York cheers since his number was retired at Yankee Stadium in 2017.
“I forgot how good that feels,” Jeter said before beginning his speech.
He clearly also didn’t forget how it felt when he learned that just one voter left the five-time World Series champion and 14-time All-Star off of their Hall of Fame ballot last year, when Jeter was voted in by 99.7 percent of the voters.
“Thank you to the baseball writers - all but one of you, who voted for me,” Jeter said with a laugh as the crowd cheered.
The one voter who didn’t vote for Jeter and denied him the chance to be in company with teammate Mariano Rivera as the only players to be unanimous selections, chose to remain anonymous with their vote, and that remains. It likely isn’t a big deal to Jeter, whose plaque is now on the way into the Hall of Fame, and it wasn’t in 2020, when he first found out he was Cooperstown bound.
“I focus on the ones who did [vote for me],” Jeter said last year. “It takes a lot of people to all agree to get you to this point. So, I’m not thinking about that.”
But Jeter did admit during his speech on Wednesday that he never forgets those who doubted his ability, so the jab at the anonymous voter likely wasn’t solely in a joking manner.
“To this day, I remember every time I was doubted,” Jeter said. “I made, and I still make, a mental note.”
Jeter did exactly that when it comes to a fellow Yankee legend in Reggie Jackson, who Jeter used to trade playful jokes with during his playing career when Jackson would visit the Yankee clubhouse. Jeter made it clear on Wednesday that he never forgot Jackson’s retort when the two would go at it at Jeter’s locker.
“Every time Reggie would come spend time with the team, I’d call him over to my locker,” Jeter said. “We’d go back and forth and I’d get on him. His response was ‘You’re not a Hall of Famer yet.’ I guess I could get on you now.”
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