I don’t know about you but I can’t get enough of leafing through the Derek Jeter list of his 3,000+ hits. There are a million ways (not really a million ways) you can break it down even nearly a week later and those are more interesting than other things associated with the milestone.
You can go lefty/righty, by first name, starter or reliever, Red Sox, Orioles, guys from California, the Dominican Republic. You get the idea and I did none of those things, what I did was find the hits of pitchers that Jeter was a teammate of at some point and that counts pitchers who did not last one month as a Yankee
The first teammate that Jeter got a hit off was Randy Johnson. Johnson was here 2005-2006 and Jeter’s third hit came off the “Big Unit” on May 31, 1995 and that hit is notable because it was his first RBI.
Jack McDowell was a teammate of Jeter’s during his cameo in 1995 and by 1996 he was in Cleveland with the then defending AL champions. The first time Jeter had a hit off “Black Jack” was April 3, 1996 when he had two hits during his first career three-hit game and in a win that saw him score five times.
David Wells had two memorable stints in the Bronx doing such things as pitching in Babe Ruth’s hat in 1997, a perfect game in 1998 and getting attacked in a Manhattan diner in 2002. Before all that, Wells was a member of the Orioles and in the famous May 1, 1996 game in Baltimore, Jeter had his only hit of the 11-6 win off the man called “Boomer”.
Sterling Hitchcock was a Yankee from 1992-1995 and then returned during the summer of 2001. When he faced Jeter on May 24, 1996, he was doing so in the Kingdome as a Mariner and that night he gave up a two-run home run and a RBI single which occurred in a 10-4 Yankee loss.
Paul Quantrill was a frequently used reliever during the 2004 season but eight years earlier he was a Blue Jay starting pitcher and when he faced Jeter in the third inning of an 8-1 Yankee win, he gave up a base hit which was hit number 60.
Mike Mussina was Jeter’s teammate from 2001-2008 missing World Series titles by one year at the start and end of his Yankee tenure. Before that season, he gave up a few hits to Jeter as an Oriole and that included a go-ahead two-run home run in the eighth inning of a 4-2 win on July 11, 1996, which was the famous four-game sweep of that season.
Scott Erickson pitched nine games for the Yankees in 2006, two years after a failed stint with the Mets. Before that, he was known for pitching a no-hitter for Minnesota in 1994 and then as an Oriole and on July 14, 1996 he gave up Jeter’s 95th hit, which was a base hit in the third inning of a 4-1 Yankee win.
Tom Gordon can be described the same way as Quantrill but on July 17, 1996, he was a starting pitcher in Boston and when he gave up Jeter’s 99th hit, it was a double that did not lead to a run in a 12-11 game. Of course the news of Jeter's 99th hit was not a big deal because of TWA flight 800 crashing.
Ricky Bones was traded to the Yankees but then sent back to Milwaukee, where he faced Jeter on July 20, 1996 and in the sixth inning gave up a base hit, which was Jeter's 104th hit. Of course, Bones is more known for being part of the package San Diego sent to Milwaukee for Gary Sheffield, who was then sent to Florida a year later for Trevor Hoffman.
C.J. Nitkowski pitched for the Yankees in 2004 for 19 appearances. Eight years earlier, he was a starting pitcher for a 109-loss Tiger team and on August 11, he gave up hits 134 and 135, which were two singles.
Steve Karsay is pretty active on twitter nowadays and was a Yankee in 2002 and a part of 2003. Before that point, he was with Oakland and on April 4, 1997 he gave up 10 hits, including three to Jeter in a game that saw the Yankees go 3-for-16 with men on base and Jeter fall a home run shy of the cycle. Those hits were 197, 198 and 199 for Jeter.
Billy Brewer was a Yankee for four games in 1996 and by April 5, 1997 had moved to the Athletics. There he gave a double during Jeter’s four hit game, which was his third career and gave him 203 for his career.
Allen Watson played with three teams in 1999 and one was the Yankees whom he ended his career with the following year. Before then, Watson was an Angel and on April 9, 1997 he gave up Jeter’s 212th hit, which was the first of 18 Yankee hits that night.
Jimmy Key was a CY Young candidate in 1993 and 1994. By the time he became Jeter’s teammate, he was breaking down in 1997 he wound up with Baltimore and they were the AL front-runners on June 3. That night in a 7-5 win, Key gave up hits number 256 and 257, a pair of singles.
Mark Hutton pitched in 21 games for the Yankees, making his debut against the Angels July 23, 1993. After briefly playing with Jeter, he was traded to the Marlins for David Weathers. On June 13, 1997, he was one of six relievers for Al Leiter and in the top of the 12th he gave up a single to Jeter, which was hit number 265 that put men on first and third.
Cory Lidle sadly was a short-lived Jeter teammate, dying in a plane crash in 2006. Before becoming Jeter’s teammate, he pitched in the first Subway Series in 1997 and on June 17, 1997, he gave up Jeter’s 270th hit, a sixth-inning single. Lidle also would face Jeter at points during the 2001 and 2002 team with some very good Oakland teams.
Denny Neagle also briefly played with Jeter in 2000 before becoming a poster-child for bad pitching contracts with Colorado. Before joining Jeter, he faced him July 1, 1997 for the Braves and gave up three singles but that did not affect the performance as Neagle improved to 12-1 that night at the stadium despite allowing hits 288, 289 and 290.
Dan Miceli was a Yankee reliever briefly in 2003 and six years earlier for the Tigers on July 12, 1997, he gave up Jeter’s 300th career hit, an RBI double in the eighth that scored Mark Whiten.
LaTroy Hawkins pitched briefly here in 2008 and was the opposing pitcher for David Wells’ perfect game. Nine months before May 17, 1998 he fell to 3-7 by allowing eight hits in four innings and one was a leadoff single in the fifth that was Jeter's 325th and preceded a three-run home run by Bernie Williams.
Aaron Small’s 10-0 record in 2005 became quite the story, which was helped along by Small’s nice persona. Eight years beforehand, he was an Athletics' reliever and faced Jeter on August 27, 1997. Jeter had a bunt single and then scored on Bernie Williams’ two-run go-ahead double but the Yankees lost on an error by Paul O’Neill, taking the hook off Small, who allowed Jeter's 355th hit.
Scott Kamieniecki came up during the 1991 season but was injured most of 1996 and in 1997 he faced his fellow Michgan fan, allowing a leadoff single on September 14 but then picked him off first base, getting some redemption for allowing Jeter's 370th hit.
The night of May 6, 1998 in Texas was quite the night as the Yankees picked up a 15-13 and traded seven run innings. Jeter had hits 420-423 and drove in five runs. The last of those hits came off John Wetteland, who mentored Mariano Rivera in 1996 and it was a solo home run in the top of the ninth that provided the 15th run.
Dan Naulty appeared in 33 games for the 1999 Yankees and eight years after, he admitted to the Daily News of using steroids during his career. That included 1998 with the Twins when he gave up Jeter’s 428th career hit, a base hit in the sixth inning of a 7-0 Yankee win on May 10, 1998.
Bartolo Colon has wowed Yankee fans with his fastball this year and June 21, 1998 for the Indians he was doing the same with 10 strikeouts in eight innings of an 11-0 win. He gave up three hits and one was a third-inning single to Jeter, whose 463th hit was a blip in a Cleveland rout.
Al Leiter was Jeter’s teammate during 2005, a year after his Mets’ tenure ended. On June 26, 1998 at Shea, he gave up hit number 467, a one-out single that chased Leiter in the seventh and led to the Mel Rojas’ second-guess by Tim McCarver after the Paul O’Neill hit a three-run home run.
Jaret Wright joined the Yankees in 2005 after rescuing his career with the Braves. Before that he was a rising star for the Indians and on July 13, 1998 in Cleveland he faced Jeter, giving up a pair of two-out base hits while beating the Yankees, 4-1.
Jay Witasick struggled as a Yankee reliever during 2001 but three years earlier was a spot starter for Oakland in a doubleheader on August 4, 1998. That night he gave up Jeter’s 517th hit, a base hit to left field.
Kenny Rogers played with Jeter for two years before turning into Scott Brosius and he was responsible for hit number 519, an RBI single in the third inning that accounted for the first run of an eventual 10-5 Yankee win in Oakland on August 4, 1998.
Esteban Loaiza was a 21-game winner for the 2003 White Sox. A year later he was a Yankee but six years before he was on Texas, where he would stay before being sent to Toronto for Michael Young. On August 16, 1998, he gave up Jeter’s 535th and 536th career hits, which were a two-run home run and a double in a 6-5 Yankee win.
Sidney Ponson was a stopgap Yankee starter during 2006 and 2008 but was more known for his days with the Orioles. On September 19, 1998, Ponson shut out the Yankees for 7 1/3 innings but allowed hits 577 and 578 to Jeter, and those were a pair of singles in a game that was the last game Cal Ripken Jr. played during his run of 2,632 consecutive games, a streak that began when Jeter was seven.
Freddy Garcia is currently Jeter’s smoke and mirrors teammate with his array of off-speed pitches and the hard-throwing version everyone refers to was a Mariner from 1998-2004, including the day of May 8, 1999. A day after getting five RBI, Jeter settled for hit number 631, a third-inning single in a 14-5 loss.
Jeff Weaver made his Yankee debut on July 7, 2002. Three years earlier he was a rising pitcher for a dreadful Tigers’ team and on July 8, 1999 at Tiger Stadium Weaver pitched eight innings and allowed two runs and seven hits. Two of those hits were to Jeter, who had hits number 709 and 710, which were singles during the Yankees’ last appearance at that ballpark.
Javier Vazquez’s two Yankee stints 2004 and 2010 are mostly forgettable, but another Yankee Stadium appearance is memorable. That would be when he opposed David Cone in his perfect game on July 18, 1999 and gave up seven hits, including a two-out two-run home run in the second inning that accounted for hit number 719.
Mike Thurman’s major league career concluded with 12 appearances for the Yankees but three years earlier he was an Expo for a 7-4 loss at the Stadium on July 20. That night he gave up two singles to Jeter who moved up to 722 and 723 with the hits.
Jim Brower pitched briefly for the Yankees during 2007. How briefly? It was three appearances from August 6-14, 2007 but eight years earlier he was a September call-up for the Indians. On September 19, 1999, he was gone after 3 1/3 innings after allowing nine hits and six runs. Jeter accounted for one-third with a home run in the third and an RBI single in the fourth and those were hits number 790 and 791.
Carl Pavano had one of the more forgettable Yankee careers, though he was the opening day starter in 2007. Long before being dubbed “American Idle” by the New York Post, he was known for being traded for Pedro Martinez and the man who gave up Mark McGwire’s 70th home run in 1998. He also was lesser known for allowing Jeter’s 864th hit, a base hit that happened during a five-run fifth inning.
Tanyon Sturtze was no fan of Pavano as documented in a book about the 2006 season. Long before disliking Pavano, he was a Tampa Bay reliever pitcher and on July 21, 2000, he gave up Jeter’s 917th career hit, which was a leadoff hit in the sixth inning of an 11-1 Yankee victory.
Jim Mecir was a teammate during the 1996 season but wound up on Tampa Bay in the expansion draft. Although July 22, 2000 was a 12-4 win for Mecir, he did give up Jeter’s 919th career hit, an RBI single in the seventh that made it a one-run game.
David Cone was Jeter’s teammate from 1995-2000 but in his last season he was 4-14 and the Yankees let him go. So he wound up with the Red Sox and his second start for Boston happened to be May 23, 2001 in Yankee Stadium and that night Jeter had his first career five-hit game. Three of those hits were off Cone, who gave up a double in the first inning and base hits in the third and fifth, accounting for hits number 1,060-1,062.
CC Sabathia has won 52 times as Jeter’s teammate. Eight years before joining forces on the Yankees, he was a prized rookie for the Indians and on May 26, could not get past the fifth. Jeter had three hits in a 12-5 and the first was a base hit in the third, accounting for hit number 1,066.
Hideki Irabu was a 12-game winner for the 1998 Yankees, endured the wrath of George Steinbrenner’s mouth in spring training 1999 and was traded for Ted Lilly. On June 13, 2001 he pitched for the Expos and that was the last of his three starts that season as he allowed Jeter’s 1,078th career hit, a double in the first inning.
If you don’t recall Josh Towers, chances are you are not alone but he made two relief appearances in Sept. 2009. Eight years earlier, he was a rookie for the Orioles and 8-10 on a dreadful team. When he gave up Jeter’s 1,105th career hit on July 5, 2001, it was a double in the first inning that preceded Bernie Williams’ two-run home run.
Eight years before becoming a Yankee, A.J. Burnett pitched a no-hitter for the Marlins and two months afterwards, he faced Jeter. Burnett would face Jeter several times with Toronto but on July 12, 2001 he gave up three runs on two hits and five walks and was a 9-3 winner though one of the two hits was Jeter’s 1,110th, a third-inning single.
Armando Benitez had about a two-week Yankee career when he was acquired from the Mets in July 2003 and traded to Seattle in August. About a year before, he gave up Jeter’s 1,279th hit, a game-tying RBI single in the ninth inning of a 4-2 10-inning Yankee victory at Shea on June 14, 2002.
Similar to Benitez, Mark Wohlers had a short-lived Yankee of 31 games in 2001. A year later on July 2, 2002, Wohlers faced Jeter and allowed his 1,305th hit, a go-ahead single during a seven-run 10th inning during a 10-5 victory over the Indians.
Chan Ho Park lasted slightly more than Benitez but not as long as Wohlers when he was a Yankee during 2010. Eight years earlier, he was pitching for the Rangers and on August 23, 2001, he gave up Jeter’s 1,355th hit which was a third-inning solo home run in a 6-2 Texas win.
Ramiro Mendoza was part of the steady bullpens of 1998-2001 but by 2003 he was a Red Sox and on May 20, 2003 in Fenway Park Jeter notched his 1,403rd career hit, a game-tying single in the fifth inning of a 10-7 Yankee loss. Like Eric Hinske, Johnny Damon and Babe Ruth, he won championship rings with the Yankees and Red Sox.
Brett Tomko had a brief stint with the Yankees during 2009. Six years before he was a starter for the Cardinals and on June 14, 2003 he had to relieve Matt Morris who could only get two outs. That day during a 5 1/3 inning relief stint, he gave up Jeter’s 1423rd and 1424th hit. The first hit of a 13-4 Yankee win was an RBI double for the first run of a four-run second inning. The second hit was a routine single to right field.
Graeme Lloyd is remembered for his outstanding relief during 1996-1998. He also was included in the 1999 trade for Roger Clemens but four years later he was a Met on a 96-loss team and on the night of June 22, he allowed Jeter’s 1431st hit, which was a 10th-inning single of a 7-3 Yankee win that reached extra innings when Benitez walked four in the ninth.
Jake Westbrook pitched very briefly in June 2000 before being included in the David Justice trade. Remarkably he remained in Cleveland until last summer’s trade to the Cardinals and three years into his Indians’ tenure on July 20, 2003; he gave up Jeter’s 1467th and 1468th hits, which were a single in the first and a double in the fifth of a 7-4 Yankee win.
Rafael Soriano’s big contract was based on the 45 saves he had last year for Tampa Bay. Seven years before cashing in, he was 63 appearances into a career that began with Seattle in 2002. On August 8, 2003, he relieved Ryan Franklin and gave up Jeter’s 1,491st hit, which was a sixth-inning base hit during a five-run sixth that saw all the runs go unearned because of a Mark McLemore error.
You are forgiven if you don’t recall Darrell May but the evidence shows that the final two of his 161 career appearances were for the Yankees in July 2005. Two years earlier he was a respectable 10-8 for the only winning Royals’ team since the 1994 strike but on August 12, 2003, he was a 6-0 loser and that included allowing Jeter’s 1,496th hit, which was an RBI single in the third inning.
Jason Grimsley was a Yankee in 1999-2000 and three years was plying his craft for the Royals. On August 18, 2003, he was responsible for Jeter’s 1,505th career hit, which was a leadoff single in the eighth of an 11-6 Yankee win.
Like May, Alan Embree pitched briefly during the summer of 2005 for the Yankees. Their quest for pitching was so encompassing that they even were willing to sign the pitcher responsible for making the final out of the 2004 ALCS. A year before that moment, Embree was in Grady Little’s bullpen. On August 30, 2003, he gave up Jeter’s 1,518th hit, a double in the eighth inning of a 10-7 Yankee win.
Keeping with the 2005 theme, Buddy Groom also pitched here, doing so for 24 games with an ERA of 4.91. Two years before joining the Yankees, he faced Jeter in the first game of a doubleheader on Sept. 26, 2003 and the result was hit number 1,543, a leadoff double in the seventh of an 11-2 win.
Before he was acquired twice by Brian Cashman, Chad Gaudin was a reliever for the 2004 Rays. On April 7, 2004 he faced Jeter and allowed hit number 1,549, which was an eighth-inning double in a 3-2 Yankee win.
Ron Villone made 717 appearances for 11 teams and 107 were for the Yankees in 2006-2007. Two years before joining the Yankees, Villone was in his last year making occasional starting appearances and on August 13, 2004, he gave up hits number 1,675 and 1,676 while allowing eight runs and 10 hits. The first hit was a leadoff single in the third inning and the second hit was a double in the fourth when the Yankees went up 10-0.
The 2002 Jeff Weaver trade was mentioned and one of the moving players was Ted Lilly. Three years later, Lilly was a Blue Jay and on May 1, 2005 he gave up Jeter’s 1,766th hit, which was a fifth-inning single during a four-run fifth. That gave the Yankees a 6-3 lead but when they walked off the field with an 8-6 loss - that set in motion the promotion of Robinson Cano from the minors.
Kyle Farnsworth was a Yankee from 2006-2008 and was not really good during his three seasons until 2008 which was when he was flipped to Detroit for Ivan Rodriguez. A year before becoming a Yankee, Farnsworth was a Tiger and on May 26, 2005, he gave up Jeter’s 1790th hit, which was an eighth-inning single in a 4-3 Yankee win.
Joe Borowski was a Yankee for nine relief appearances in 1997 and 1998. He also has given up two notable grand slams to Yankees in odd-numbered years for the Cubs and Indians. One was Jeter’s 1,811th career hit on June 18, 2005, which also was his first and only grand slam in the fifth sixth inning of an 8-1 win.
Bob Wickman was part of the 1992 deal that sent Steve Sax to the White Sox. A year later while Jeter was in his first full year of pro ball, Wickman was a Yankee starter who opened with eight straight wins. Three years later Wickman moved to the bullpen and then Milwaukee but nine years after leaving the Yankees, he was closing games for the Indians and on July 9, 2005, he gave up Jeter’s 1,838th career hit which was a bunt single during an 8-7 Indians’ win.
Seven years after bursting on the scene, “El Duque” was in the process of winning a ring for the White Sox. On August 20, 2005, he gave hit number 1882, which was a fourth inning single that led off a three-run inning of a 6-0 Yankee win.
In that same game as above, 2007 Yankee Luis Vizcaino gave up hit number 1883. That hit was a ninth-inning single with the game already decided. You might remember Vizcaino as being part of the 2007 Randy Johnson that sent him back to Arizona.
On the same day Boston shifted the makeup of its 2004 roster, the Yankees traded disappointing Jose Contreras to the White Sox for Loaiza, a 21-game winner the year before. It seemed like a logical move but Contreras was a 15-game winner during 2005 and Loaiza was in Washington. On August 21, 2005, he allowed 11 hits but just two runs. Two of those hits were to Jeter, who singled in the third and fifth for hits number 1,884 and 1,885.
Todd Williams won’t have his own day at the Stadium but he was a Yankee for 15 games in 2001. After allowing five runs in Detroit on July 18, he did not make another major league appearance until July 21, 2004 for the Orioles. Fourteen months later on September 28, 2005, he was making his 70th appearance for Baltimore and in the seventh inning, he gave up hit number 1,932, which was the go-ahead single in a 2-1 win.
Brad Halsey became Jeter’s teammate when the Yankees needed a starting pitcher in June 2004. Eight appearances and a 6.47 ERA were all the Yankees saw because they included him the Randy Johnson deal. After being dealt for Johnson, Halsey wound up with Oakland and made seven starts. One was May 13, 2006 when he allowed four runs in 4 1/3 innings and that included giving up hit number 1,981, which was a leadoff home run in the third inning.
Bret Prinz appeared in 26 games for the Yankees in 2004 with a respectable 3.00 ERA but three years later he was the final week of his major league career and on June 7, 2007 with the White Sox, he gave up Jeter’s 2,227th hit which was a ninth-inning single during a six-run inning of Joe Torre’s 2,000th career victory.
Shawn Chacon was a godsend in the summer of 2005 but when he pitched to a 7.00 ERA in 2006, he was sent to the Pirates for Craig Wilson. The rest of Chacon’s career did not end well and on June 10, 2007 he gave up Jeter’s 2,231 career hit, which was a base hit in an inning that gave the Yankees an 8-6 lead.
Dustin Moseley was a spot starter/reliever for the 2010 Yankees and now is in San Diego. Three years before becoming a Yankee, he gave up Jeter’s 2,266th hit during a wild 14-9 Yankee win. The hit was an RBI single in the eighth inning that gave the Yankees a 14-9 lead.
Boone Logan joined the Yankees in the same deal that included Javier Vazquez and made more of a contribution than Vazquez. Two years before joining forces with Jeter he gave up number 2,375 which was a ninth-inning single in a 7-6 White Sox victory.
Billy Traber was one of 27 Yankee pitchers in 2008 and in 2009 he was one of 24 hurlers used by the Red Sox. The night of August 6, 2009 was his only Red Sox appearance and last major league appearance and probably the reason was he allowed five runs and nine hits in 3 2/3 innings reliving John Smoltz. One hit was number 2,671 for Jeter, who had an RBI single in the sixth of a 13-6 win.
Kerry Wood holds the distinction of being the last Jeter teammate to allow a hit and that happened on May 29, 2010 in a wild 13-11 Cleveland win. Wood was called on for the save and, after balking Curtis Granderson to second, he gave up Jeter’s RBI double, which was hit number 2,810.