All along the Derek Jeter farewell tour, head-scratching gifts have been presented to the New York Yankees’ captain. Baltimore Orioles manager Buck Showalter, however, has a great idea for what the O’s can give Jeter to celebrate his retirement.
Showalter has been on both sides of the Orioles-Yankees rivalry, but arguably the most infamous moment between the teams came in 1996, one season after his final year in the Bronx. That’s when Jeter hit a flyball to right field in Game 1 of the American League Championship Series. A Yankees fan reached over the right-field wall and pulled the ball over the fence, and it was ruled a home run — much to the Orioles’ chagrin.
The Yankees went on to win the game in 11 innings, take the ALCS and then claim the World Series title — their first of five in the franchise’s most recent dynasty.
Now Showalter believes the Orioles should try and bury the hatchet by presenting Jeter with a signed photo of that “home run.”
“I would give him a big picture of the home run,” Showalter told reporters Monday, according to the Washington Post. “Well, it wasn’t a home run. We know that. That’s what I’d give him. A big picture and have the whole Baltimore Orioles team sign it. That’s a good idea. That’s cheap, too, right? Make it in bronze or something. Not that we remember that at all.”
Here’s video of the play, for those who need a refresher in baseball history.
[mlbvideo id=”3345251″ width=”640″ height=”360″ /]
