Derek Jeter was beloved by an entire city and idolized by an entire generation of baseball fans during his magical 20-year career.
Some of those young fans blazed their own path to the majors themselves, but many stopped to acknowledge an icon as Jeter delivered his Hall of Fame speech on Wednesday.
Jeter’s speech was unsurprisingly saved for last at Wednesday’s induction ceremony, meaning many MLB teams were taking the field to prepare for their own games by the time he took the stage. But batting practices, including at Yankee Stadium, were paused when Jeter tapped the mic in Cooperstown.
Down in Miami, where Jeter now heads the Marlins’ front office, the team also stopped in its tracks to watch on the big screen as their team owner was welcomed into the Hall of baseball’s most elite.
Across the field in the visiting dugout, the Mets prepared for their game against the Marlins, and Brandon Nimmo gave a nod to Jeter, who was one of the most recognizable faces in baseball when Nimmo was getting into the sport.
“I have a ton of respect for Derek Jeter, as does everyone else,” Nimmo said. “I won’t be afraid to admit that I wasn’t really a Yankee fan when I was young, but I had a ton of respect for Derek Jeter and the way he played the game, and the way he went about his business and his life…I respect the man a lot and what he did in his career, and the goals he set and how much he was able to win.”
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