The aura of Derek Jeter was present at the Pinstripe Bowl - MLB

Derek Jeter may be retired from baseball, but that doesn’t mean he’s done affecting the outcomes of sporting contests.

The Penn State University Nittany Lions overcame the Boston College Eagles in overtime on Saturday in the Pinstripe Bowl, held at Yankee Stadium. Tied at 24-24, Boston College scored first in overtime when Tyler Murphy hit David Dudeck for a 21-yard touchdown. They did not convert the point after touchdown, opening the door for Penn State to eke out a win.

Penn State QB Christian Hackenberg tied the game at 30 apiece with a 10-yard pass to Kyle Carter. Kicker Sam Ficken was called on to give Penn State the win with a successful PAT.

First, a little back story, via the Associated Press:

Derek Jeter’s former No. 2 locker was the place holder for Penn State kicker Sam Ficken.

Ficken had the honor of using the retired Jeter’s locker for Saturday’s Pinstripe Bowl at Yankee Stadium against Boston College.

Did Ficken make the point after touchdown? Of course! The clutch magic that Jeter left sitting in his locker obviously rubbed off on the kicker.

Penn State fans, be sure to send thank you cards to Jeets, as his aura lingers at the hallowed Bronx stadium even to this day.

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SAN DIEGO — The scuffling San Diego Padres claimed catcher Gary Sánchez off waivers from the New York Mets.

The two-time All-Star was designated for assignment after playing in three games for the Mets. He went 1 for 6 with three strikeouts and an RBI, looking shaky at times behind the plate.

With the disappointing Padres (24-29) getting meager offensive production at catcher, they hope Sánchez can provide a boost. Austin Nola is batting .131 with three extra-base hits and a paltry .434 OPS in 39 games. His part-time platoon partner, second-stringer Brett Sullivan, is hitting .170 with four extra-base hits and a .482 OPS in 21 games since getting called up from the minors April 16.

Luis Campusano has been on the injured list since April 17 and is expected to be sidelined until around the All-Star break following left thumb surgery.

San Diego is responsible for just over $1 million in salary for Sánchez after assuming his $1.5 million, one-year contract.

The star-studded Padres have lost seven of 11 and are 3-3 on a nine-game East Coast trip. They open a three-game series at Miami.

San Diego becomes the third National League team to take a close look at the 30-year-old Sánchez this season. He spent time in the minors with San Francisco before getting released May 2 and signing a minor league contract a week later with the Mets, who were minus a couple of injured catchers at the time.

After hitting well in a short stint at Triple-A Syracuse, he was promoted to the big leagues May 19. When the Mets reinstated catcher Tomás Nido from the injured list last week, Sánchez was cut.

Sánchez’s best seasons came early in his career with the New York Yankees, where he was runner-up in 2016 AL Rookie of the Year voting and made the AL All-Star team in 2017 and 2019.

He was traded to Minnesota before the 2022 season and batted .205 with 16 homers and 61 RBIs in 128 games last year.

With the Padres, Sánchez could also be a candidate for at-bats at designated hitter, where 42-year-old Nelson Cruz is batting .245 with three homers, 16 RBIs and a .670 OPS, and 37-year-old Matt Carpenter is hitting .174 with four homers, 21 RBIs and a .652 OPS.