Hall of Fame Yankees legend Derek Jeter, an analyst for Fox’s pre- and postgame World Series coverage, takes a swing at some Q&A with Post columnist Steve Serby:
Q: October in The Bronx — how intimidating can that be for a visiting team?
A: It could be very intimidating. It’s funny, because you always hear every time someone plays in a series, they say, “I never heard this loud, I never heard it this loud,” OK, great. Go to a Yankee game in The Bronx in October, a World Series game. That is by far the loudest venue I’ve ever played in, the loudest stadium I’ve ever been in. It can be very intimidating. The fans are intelligent, they understand the game, they understand the intricacies of the game. All the small things, they understand that. They pay attention, they watch, they’re really knowledgeable. They’re animated and they’re loud.
Q: What would The Boss think of this Yankees team?
A: I think he would hold all judgment til after the Series.
Q: I think he might like the fact that these are the Bronx Bombers again, right?
A: Yeah, look, the Boss was always into star power. He always said, it’s the New York Yankees, you have to have stars, fans want to come out and watch the stars play. But he would, in my opinion, wait until this Series was over before he passed any judgment.
Q: What made Derek Jeter Mr. November?
A: I hit a [10th-inning walk-off against Byung-Hyun Kim in Game 4 of the 2001 Series against Arizona] home run shortly after midnight (laugh).
Q: What’s the key to being Mr. November?
A: I think the key to having any success in the postseason is to treat it like it’s a regular-season game. I think guys have the most problems when they get to a postseason game and all of a sudden in their mind, they make it seem like it’s more important now. I think that’s when the game speeds up. I didn’t do anything different in the postseason, I treated the postseason like it was a regular-season game.
Q: How would you describe Juan Soto’s mentality in the batter’s box?
A: From an outsider looking in, each at-bat is a competition for him. I mean, obviously it is a competition, but he has fun doing it. He does his whole little dance in the batter’s box, but that all comes from I think he enjoys the competition. He doesn’t swing at bad hitter’s pitches, he makes contact, he hits for average, he hits for power — he does everything you can think of, or you would want a hitter to do.
Q: If you were still captain of the Yankees, what would your recruiting pitch to him be to stay as a Yankee?
A: I wouldn’t have a recruiting pitch. He already knows what the Yankees are about, he knows what playing in New York is about, so if you have to convince anyone about coming to play for the Yankees, then you’ve already lost. I don’t think you need a recruiting pitch.
Q: What would your advice to the current Yankees captain, Aaron Judge, be playing in his first World Series?
A: Enjoy it. I remember Mr. T [Joe Torre] used to always mention how difficult it is getting to the World Series. And when you’re there, you have to enjoy the experience because quite frankly, you don’t know when you’re gonna get that chance back. So I would enjoy every single part of it. And obviously, if you win you enjoy it a whole lot more. But I think you have to recognize how difficult it is to get there.
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Q: The Aaron Judge-Shohei Ohtani matchup?
A: I think it’s great for the sport. It’s great for the game of baseball. You have arguably the two biggest stars in the game playing on the game’s biggest stage. East Coast, West Coast. This is what I assume MLB was dreaming of was to have these two teams and get to showcase stars. There’s a lot of stars playing in this game, but those are two of the biggest.
Q: What amazes you most about Ohtani?
A: Where do you begin? I never really DH’d. But DHing is not an easy thing to do, because a lot of times [if] you don’t get a hit you don’t feel like you contributed at all. And for him, to go through what he’s gone through in terms of, he had the arm issue, not being able to pitch, focusing just on hitting, and to take the strides that he took, it seems like he just keeps getting better and better, which is scary for the league. But it’s pretty impressive what he’s been able to do on the field, but I think even also not really worry about distractions. He had a lot of distractions coming into the season, at the beginning of the season, and it didn’t seem to affect him at all.
Q: How much of a weapon could he be pitching in this series?
A: I guess anything’s possible. I think it’s highly unlikely. He’s signed for another what, 25 years with the Dodgers? I don’t really see ’em jeopardizing and taking a chance just throwing him in the World Series.
Q: What have you seen from Giancarlo Stanton this time of the year?
A: He’s a big reason why they’re there. It goes without saying what he’s done, especially the last series, but he always seems to step up in the postseason. The thing with Stanton is, I know his time in New York he’s been dealing with a lot of injuries that’s kept him off the field. But when he’s on the field, he’s as dangerous as anyone in terms of being a power threat. He showed that in the last series. Personally I’m extremely happy for him and hopefully for him it can continue, but he’s not afraid. And the one thing you always like about him watching from afar is he never makes excuses. I think that’s a reason why he’s had success in the playoffs.
Q: Gerrit Cole getting the ball in Game 1.
A: He should get the ball, he’s the ace, he’s been arguably, when he’s healthy, the best pitcher in baseball. So that’s exactly who you want it to be if you’re a Yankee fan, if you’re a Yankee player and you’re in the Yankee organization, is Gerrit Cole on the mound in Game 1. Who knows how it works? Back in the day, guys used to pitch Game 1, you’d see him in Game 4 and then they’d come back in Game 7. Who knows how it’s gonna play out? But if you’re the Yankees, this is exactly why you brought Gerrit Cole to the organization.
Q: What scares you or concerns you about the Dodgers?
A: The Dodgers are good … first of all, let’s not put it on me what scares or concerns me (laugh) … what concerns the team that’s playing in New York. The Dodgers are experienced, they’re professional, they’ve been there before. They don’t swing and miss much … neither do the Yankees though. I think it’s two evenly matched teams.
Q: Thoughts on the Yankees bullpen?
A: They’ve been awesome. I said on the air the other day the thing that stood out was [Luke] Weaver, when he came back, he gave up that big home run, came back and he shut the door the next night. The closer has to have a short memory. The Dodgers bullpen has carried ’em.
Q: Does Aaron Boone remind you in any way of Mr. T?
A: No, Mr. T is Mr. T. He’s a little more bit more animated than Mr. T. Mr. T was more even-keeled from appearances. When you’d look at him, he looked like he was very calm. I knew when he was upset, but I think Aaron shows his emotions a little more.
Q: Your first World Series in 1996.
A: We played the Braves my first World Series and there was no interleague play. I remember going into the World Series, and the only thing I knew about the Atlanta Braves is what I watched on television, and really was what I watched on TV growing up … [Greg] Maddux, [John] Smoltz and [Tom] Glavine, Fred McGriff. These guys were guys that I watched when I was in high school. But we never played ’em. So I just knew that they were the best team in the National League and there was a mystery there. A little bit of that mystery is gone because of interleague play, but that’s what I remember the most.
Q: Did you have butterflies at the start?
A: Of course, yeah. You have to have butterflies. Having butterflies and being nervous are two different things. Having butterflies means you care.
Q: Your 2009 World Series championship team.
A: It’s so funny saying it but it seemed like it had been such a long time. We hadn’t been to a World Series in six years and it had been nine since we had won. But you almost feel like, “Man, it’s about time.” I always said winning a World Series isn’t easy even though we made it look easy. But you really get an appreciation for how difficult it is to just even get to a World Series.
Q: Your emotions now that the Yankees are finally back in the World Series?
A: I’m excited, man. They’re back where they belong. We are back.
Q: What do you like best about this Yankees team?
A: I said this on air the other day — it brings me back to when we were stringing together a bunch of championships, and Jorge Posada used to always say, “We gotta grind it out, we gotta grind it out.” And Mr. T would always have him say it in our meetings before we started a series:
“Georgie, what do we gotta do?” “We gotta grind it.” And I get that feel from this team. With the ups and downs of the regular season, even the postseason, a lot of those games could have gone either way, but it seems like they just found a way to win, so …
Q: Who are some of your Mr. October candidates?
A: Tune in to Fox.
Q: I always do now that you’re on it.
A: (Laugh) Appreciate that. Well tune in, and I’ll let you know (laugh).
Q: Beyond Ohtani and Judge, are there others?
A: I can’t give you all my information! Research goes into this.
Q: How about X factors for either team?
A: You gotta tune in (laugh).
Q: Do you have one key to the Series?
A: I’ll give you a little bit of — the team that makes the least amount of mistakes. That’s important. Can’t give extra outs especially when you got team like this.
Q: Can you get Big Papi to root for the Yankees on the air?
A: Highly unlikely. I would assume he’s gonna pick the Dodgers. I’ll work on him, I’ll work on him.
Q: I would assume you’ll pick the Yankees?
A: Tune into Fox (laugh).
Q: What do you know about the Dodgers-Yankees World Series history?
A: That’s where Reggie [Jackson] made his name, hitting the home runs against the Dodgers, back-to-back ’77, ’78 and then obviously the Dodgers won in ’81. But it’s been a long time since these teams have played each other in World Series. It should be a fun one.
