When Derek Jeter's kindness gave a young girl hope: "What Derek did... gave me the reassurance that there was still going to be happy times for us"
In 2001, after the horrific 9/11 attacks, New York Yankees star shot-stopper Derek Jeter showered numerous acts of kindness on people traumatized by what happened that day. One of them included a nine-year-old girl named Katie Mascali, whose father was in the Fire Department of New York (FDNY) and lost his life that day.
Derek Jeter, the future Hall of Fame inductee, was already a four-time World Series champion in 2001 and was part of the famous Yankees dynasty that won four championships in 5 seasons from 1996 to 2000.
By the end of his career, he had become a Yankees legend, with all-time highs in hits, doubles, and games played, to name a few. He won his fifth championship in 2009 and was a 14-time All-Star at the time of his retirement.
Derek Jeter embracing a New York City fire fighter after 9/11. A picture is worth a thousand words. https://t.co/Cakllqr7gv
Jeter was known to be extremely kind and warm to his fans. He had a welcoming persona both on and off the plate. In 2001 his affectionate deed towards Katie gave her hope at a very sad time for her and her family.
In a digest written by Ken Haskins for the Nevada Appeal, he recollected the incident narrated by Rick Cerrone, editor-in-chief. Haskins wrote:
"Young Katie Mascali, [whose father, a member of FDNY, was killed on Sept. 11, 2001] attended many Yankees games with her father, took the loss of her father particularly hard. Katie's story made its way to the Yankees organization and a special day was set for Katie and her family to attend a Yankees game and batting practice. Katie would soon meet her favorite player, Jeter.
"On her day, Katie was seated near the Yankees dugout. Jeter spotted her and shouted, "Hey Kate! Get out here! You're late!" Katie ran out to meet Derek on the field. Derek introduced her to his teammates and let her stretch out with the team. That really made her feel special."
Since then, whenever Katie visits a Yankees game, Derek Jeter makes it a ritual to spend some time with her. This small act of warmth continued for years.
Katie reflects on the much-needed hope she received from Derek Jeter
Katie Mascali has grown up now, and all these years later, she reflected on her special day with Jeter, saying:
"What Derek did... gave me the reassurance that there was still going to be happy times for us... My name is Katelyn and I was always Katie to my family, and when he called me Kate, that was it. I only wanted to be referred to as Kate from that point on."
Kate, currently a doctorate in physical therapy from Quinnipiac University, recently wed in 2022. Maybe in 2001, Derek Jeter didn't understand the gravity of his gesture, but eventually, it turned out to be so pure that it instilled renewed hope in a nine-year-old.