"You know what? I'll walk from here" - When captain Derek Jeter surprised fans with heartwarming Gatorade commercial before last Yankee stadium game
Derek Jeter had a long and iconic career, one that ended in incredible and unbelievable fashion in 2014. In that game, the shortstop walked off the Baltimore Orioles for his final hit in the MLB. He did so at home, in front of fans he had loved since the day he debuted in the 1990s.
Before that retirement, it was clear that he would be retiring and not playing the final series. The shortstop respected the Boston Red Sox crowd, but he wanted his final game to be at home.
Before those final games occurred, the New York Yankees legend starred in a heartwarming Gatorade commercial. In it, Jeter was riding around New York as he'd done so many times before.
Frank Sinatra's My Way, a big song in New York, was playing in the background as the shortstop took in his journey one final time. he saw newsstands wishing him well and cementing the finality of his career. He said to his driver:
"You know what? I'll walk from here."
It shocked and surprised the fans who were there for the filming. He spoke to them and walked with them like he wasn't perhaps the most successful and iconic athlete in New York sports history.
It was a touching moment when city and legend came together one final time before the curtain closed on an eventual Hall of Fame career.
Derek Jeter called it a career in 2014
By the time 2014 rolled around, Derek Jeter's skills were fading and it was eventually going to be time to hand the reins over to someone else. They have struggled to find a shortstop since, but Jeter's time had come.
He gave it one more year, going on what many retiring athletes do now in a Farewell Tour. He said goodbye to opposing stadiums, fans and teams he'd visited so many times before and they showered him with gifts and praise.
The penultimate series against the Baltimore Orioles was his final swan song, and he capped it with a walk-off single to give his beloved Yankees a huge win.