It’s easy to point the finger at Jeter, because (let’s be honest) it is fun to find a flaw in a baseball player who has been achingly perfect throughout his 16-year MLB career. But is the fact he faked an injury to earn first base in an important baseball game really all that shocking?
Jeter’s act of pretending that a pitch hit his forearm when it actually hit the bat was not the first time a player has done whatever it takes to gain the upper hand in competition, and it won’t be the last. Victor Martinez pulled the same stunt against Tampa a few weeks back, pretending a ball hit his foot when it actually hit the dirt in front of him. He milked it pretty good, too.
The action behind Jeter’s dramatics is one that derives from an athlete in the midst of a heated division race, putting everything on the line to give his team the extra opportunity to win. While it may have been a sneaky move, it’s not against the rules, and deception is just another part of the game. He did what he had to do, and when Curtis Granderson homered in the next at-bat, it immediately helped the Yankees.
Simply put, many athletes would do the same thing if put in Jeter’s position, and many have probably milked a few injuries of their own in their career. Heck, faking injury happens on a day-to-day basis during soccer season. It’s the common athlete’s mentality of “do whatever it takes to win,” and it’s not a foreign concept in any sport. Jeter was just unlucky enough to get caught.
So where do we go from here? Can we really blame Jeter, or is it the athlete’s mentality playing in the heat of a tight division race at fault? Jeter was just doing what the umpire told him to do when he took the jog down to first base, so can we blame the men in blue for the call?
Also worth mentioning is the argument for instant replay in baseball. When watching in slow motion, the ball clearly strikes Jeter’s bat, but to many watching in real time, there was no question Jeter got hit. Perhaps this Jeter controversy will be the incident that tips the scale for Bud Selig, eventually getting MLB to expand instant replay in the near future.
What are your thoughts on Jeter faking injury to get ahead in the game? Was it a slimy move or just good baseball? Share your opinions below.
