On the day Derek Jeter hit his 3000th — and went 5 for 5 overall — there were people who rushed to play the “See! Jeter isn’t done yet!” card. Others, myself included, were skeptical, figuring that anyone with Jeter’s latent skills was capable of having a great day, but it’s not like one great day is a narrative-changer.
Seems the skeptics were right. As Joe Posnanski tweeted a few minutes ago, since that 5 for 5 day Jeter is 5-for-26 with one RBI. All five hits have been singles. Then, a few minutes later, the inimitable Repoz reminded us once again that after Mickey Mantle had that 5 for 5 day in 1968 he went 2-for-24 with 0 RBI. Also all singles. He retired nine months later.
The difference of course was that Mantle, while no longer himself, was still a productive hitter, with the Year of the Pitcher masking his contributions somewhat. Meanwhile, Jeter continues to hit leadoff and, because of his contract, is not going anyplace.