When you hear the name Derek Jeter, the first thing that comes to mind is “The Captain” of the New York Yankees. Also, he’s an historic winner. His five World Series titles during his illustrious Hall Of Fame career are testament to that.
Playing MLB for two decades isn’t easy. With all of the success Jeter’s had, baseball is a game of failure, so even the GOATs go through terrible hitting slumps and searching for various ways to break it, often turning to superstition when hard work isn’t paying off.
Jeter, known for his clutch bat and glove as well, recently revealed that during a 2004 hitting slump he reverted to some strange things to help him get back on track.
During an appearance on “The Tonight Show Starring Jammy Fallon,” the usually private and coy Jeter was pretty open with host Jimmy Fallon and guest Rita Ora about something he did. As the three played a game called “True Confessions,” the former Michigan Wolverines star spilled the beans about a “thong” he wore to help stop his slump.
“I once wore a thong in public in front of thousands of people.”
A shocked Fallon and Ora didn’t believe Jeter at first, but that quickly changed when he explained why he did it.
“Let me explain,” Jeter said. “I had a new teammate who I played with in 2002, and he had a gold thong hanging from his locker. And he told me, ‘Anytime you struggle, you wear the gold thong and you’re guaranteed to get a hit.’ Now, I thought the guy was crazy.
“So, in 2004 I went through the worst offensive stretch of my career, and every day I walked in he would point at the thong. So, finally, I wore the thong.”
Jeter even said the superstition worked. In his first at-bat, in fact, it did wonders.
“First pitch, home run.”
Not “The Captain” wearing a thong to help break a tough, 0-for-32, hitting stretch. And to hear it worked is even more wild.
Did @RitaOra have the paparazzi take her to the airport to catch a flight? Jimmy & @derekjeter try to get to the bottom of it in True Confessions! #FallonTonight pic.twitter.com/upCzLNpRmj
— The Tonight Show (@FallonTonight) February 2, 2023
Did The Infamous Rally Thong Belong To Former Yankees Slugger Jason Giambi?
In telling the story, Jeter never disclosed who the thing belonged to. But former teammate Jason Giambi has in the past claimed it was his. In 2008, Giambi told reporters that he wore a gold thong under his uniform when he was in a slump, therefore letting us know who Jeter got the streak-breaking undergarment from.
Giambi broke a hitless streak and said this:
“It works every time.”
Jason Giambi says Derek Jeter once wore a gold thong to get out of a slump… You read that right. https://t.co/i25Qce3Z3g
— SportsCenter (@SportsCenter) October 29, 2015
Jeter was also quick to make sure folks knew the thong was worn with under clothes underneath.
“No, it wasn’t thong to skin,” he said. “I had shorts on underneath, so I put the thong over the shorts.”
Jeter Graces The Cover Of MLB 23 Collector’s Edition
Undoubtedly one of the greatest baseball players to touch the diamond, Jeter’s accolades speak for themselves. In fact, his postseason career of 158 games would be the equivalent to an All-Star MLB season.
In those games, the sweet-swinging and fielding shortstop hit .308 with 111 runs scored, 200 hits, 32 doubles, 20 homers, 61 RBI and 6) walks. He finished his career with 3,465 hits, 1,923 runs and 4,921 total bases. With numbers like that, Jeter was a near-unanimous selection for Cooperstown, receiving 396 of 397 ballots.
.@derekjeter is on the cover of the Collector’s Edition of @mlbtheshow 23! #FallonTonight pic.twitter.com/pi8Yc3oZq1
— The Tonight Show (@FallonTonight) February 2, 2023
Jeter will grace the cover of hit video game MLB 23 “The Show” Collector’s Edition. His player and rising Marlins star Jazz Chisholm will grace the cover of the original version.
