"I have to trick myself that I'm not feeling nerves, pain" - When Derek Jeter opened up about keeping his emotions in check

Former New York Yankees slugger Derek Jeter

New York Yankees great Derek Jeter was known for his composure on the baseball diamond. For many of his MLB career accomplishments, he acted like he had been there before. No moment seemed too big or too small for Jeter when he was on the field.

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While he did not seem to show it, Derek Jeter dealt with the emotions that came with the game. After playing in his final home game in 2014, he revealed it was difficult to hide them, via USA Today.

"I try to hide them, I try to trick myself and convince myself I'm not feeling those particular emotions whether it's nerves, whether I'm injured; pain. I just try to trick myself that I don't have it," said Jeter.

However, during his last game at Yankee Stadium, Jeter had trouble holding back his emotions as he knew his career was nearing its end.

"Today, I wasn't able to do it. It's been getting more and more difficult these last few weeks, but today I wasn't able to do it. I don't know if the cameras were on me close, but there were a couple times I broke down" he added.

Despite having all the attention on him during his final game, the Yankees star came up clutch. He could not have had a better final at-bat at home before hanging up his cleats.

Derek Jeter came up big for the Yankees in their final home game in 2014

New York Yankees - Derek Jeter (Photo via IMAGN)

Derek Jeter faced off against the Baltimore Orioles in his final home game before retiring. It was a great game and a great way for the slugger to end his career.

It was a back-and-forth matchup between the two teams as they both got on the board in the first inning. The two teams would continue to trade blows until it was tied in the ninth.

In the ninth, the Yankees had Jeter coming to the plate. With a runner at second base, Jeter delivered, hitting an RBI single for a walk-off win.

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It was a moment that has stuck with Yankees fans for years now. He spent all 20 years of his professional career in the Bronx, and one could not have written a better final moment for the Hall of Famer in front of his fan base.

About the author

Jared "Bloomy" Bloom is a journalist covering Major League Baseball at Sportskeeda and a former college baseball pitcher from Illinois, who just graduated with a Master's degree in Sport Psychology.

A writer with over 3 years of experience, Jared is consistently more concerned with quality than quantity, thoroughly checking multiple sources of information, and prides himself in being knowledgeable not just about MLB, but the game of baseball in general. He loves breaking down plays and game-changing moments, as well as looking closer into players' statistics.

Jared is a die-hard Chicago White Sox fan, and one of his earliest memories is seeing his great-grandfather, a huge Sox fan, in his rocking chair watching a game. Jared started playing from the age of 5 with his grandfather coaching him early on.

Jared loved Tim Lincecum for his quirky delivery and looked up to him as a role model when playing. His current favorite is Phillies star Bryce Harper, an exciting player who doesn't let injuries hold him back. Jared's favorite sports moment is Mark Buehrle's opening day between-the-legs glove flip to first base in 2010.

When he is not watching or writing about baseball, Jared can be found racing BMX at his local Rockford BMX track or coaching his local youth travel baseball team.

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Edited by Chaitanya Prakash