Why was Derek Jeter holding a Red Sox jersey? Yankees legend pranked on Fox debut

Even in the most bizarre situations former New York Yankees captain Derek Jeter wouldn't have expected the pre-birthday gift he received. The legendary shortstop who will celebrate his 49th birthday on the 26th of June got a custom made Boston Red Sox jersey that he immediately shoved away.

All this transpired on air on FOX's broadcast of the MLB London Series as Derek Jeter made his debut on the broadcast panel. The 'gift' was presented to him by fellow broadcaster and former rival on the field, Red Sox's very own David Ortiz. Also seated in the panel was Jeter's teammate from the early 2000s, Alex Rodriguez.

Such a star-studded panel reignited the Yankees-Red Sox feud that was at its peak in the 2000s when both teams were at the top of their game. The Rodriguez and Ortiz pairing on FOX's broadcast, that started two years back was already seen as a surprising pairing. Now with the addition of Jeter, who was announced as the new name in the crew back in February, the status of FOX's broadcast has elevated even more.

During the show in London, David Ortiz brought out a box as he offered it to Jeter as a birthday gift. Unpacking the gift, "The Captain" realised it was a Red Sox jersey with his name and his famous #2 at the back. He immediately flung it aside in disgust.

Derek Jeter jokingly says goodbye to the FOX broadcast after debut

Taking the prank in good humour, Derek Jeter went on to claim on air that those were his last moments on the show. He joked about not returning to the broadcast panel after his iconic debut.

Fans of the early 2000s Yankees and Red Sox matchups must have been quite fascinated to see familiar faces that made the rivalry what it is today. Both teams traded blows in the MLB and even had memorable postseason series against each other.