“There’s something elegant about the way he plays” - When Bob Costas fondly recalled a favorite Derek Jeter moment ahead of his final home game

Derek Jeter is a name that frequently makes the Mt. Rushmore of most baseball enthusiasts. He is a New York Yankees icon, whose greatness goes beyond the realms of baseball.

It’s now almost a decade since The Captain played his final professional game against the Baltimore Orioles before bringing down the curtains on one of the greatest careers the sport has ever witnessed.

Calling Jeter’s final game was a monumental task, reserved for only the very best in baseball broadcasting. That honor went to veteran sportscaster Bob Costas, who was joined by sports writer Tom Verducci and Baseball Hall of Famer Jim Kaat.

Costas, when asked to narrow down the best Jeter moments, struggled to handpick a few because there have been just way too many of them.

He drew the viewer’s attention to Jeter throwing out Orioles legend Cal Ripken Jr. to advance to the World Series. Costas painted the perfect visual for viewers to understand the significance of that moment. He said,

“It was sort of one great shortstop of a previous era on his way out, and perhaps the next great one was on his way in.”

While Derek Jeter in 2014 wasn’t close to his prime, Costas outlined how there was still an element of elegance and grace in the way he carried himself on the field.

“There’s something elegant about the way he plays and he had no missteps on the field or off. Even now, as he’s not nearly the player he once was, there is still something about the way he carries himself on the field, you can still see that same player in the mind’s eye.”

Throughout his career, Jeter has been a winner. In typical fashion, Jeter notched a game-winning hit off Orioles’ Evan Meek as the Yankees ran out 6-5 winners. It was also Jeter’s only walk-off hit at the current Yankee stadium.

Derek Jeter officially became an ‘Old-Timer’ earlier this year

Time flies indeed. Nine years after playing his final game with the Yankees, Derek Jeter attended the club’s Old-Timers’ Day festivities for the first time earlier this year.

Jeter donned his iconic No. 2, as part of the celebrations to mark the 25th anniversary of the Yankees' 1998 World Series championship squad. The reception he received was thunderous, to say the very least.