"I needed you more than you needed me" - Former MLB All-Star Alex Rodriguez once penned a tear-jerking Instagram post for Derek Jeter following his HOF induction in 2020
Alex Rodriguez and Derek Jeter were star players for one of the best baseball lineups in the past 30 years. Darek Jeter was always destined to make the baseball Hall of Fame, and it became a reality on September 8, 2021.
The Road 2 Cooperstown. #JeterHOF https://t.co/CIhgW2K3Kb
"The Road 2 Cooperstown. #JeterHOF" - New York Yankees, Twitter
While Jeter was congratulated by numerous players and fans, there was one player specifically worth mentioning. Alex and Jeter may not have shared the greatest relationship while with the New York Yankees, but A-Rod had a touching tribute prepared for Jeter’s HOF induction.
“I was lucky to be by your side on the left side of the infield for so many years,” Rodriguez wrote. “I needed you more than you needed me.”
"To The Captain Derek Jeter - congratulations on taking your rightful place in the Baseball Hall of Fame where you will be, for eternity, as one of history’s greatest players, at any position, in any era.
"It was the rock n jock MTV game (in our teal uniforms) that we shared a cab to the stadium from our hotel and said, man if we can sign a lifetime contract for a million dollars and 5+ years we would do it. I'm glad we did not have a pen or contract. I was lucky to be by your side on the left side of the infield for so many years. I needed you more than you needed me."
Derek Jeter and Alex Rodriguez early years
Derek Jeter and Alex Rodriguez first met when they were in college. Rodriguez then joined Jeter at the Yankees in 2004. They played together for 10 years, but weren’t the greatest of friends.
Rodriguez famously told Esquire in 2011 that Jeter was blessed with great talent around him, suggesting that he wasn’t a leader. Newsweek reported that when Rodriguez joined the Yankees, Jeter was asked to “fake” a good relationship with him.
The pair, however, were always able to put their differences aside, and they walked away with numerous trophies with the New York Yankees.
Although they might not be close friends, the pair regularly appear on TV together, and they probably have mutual respect at this stage of their lives.