This is a thing because Jeter making a mental mistake on the field is a man-bites-dog kind of thing. But, really, all I can think while watching this mental gaffe by The Captain in last night’s Yankees-Mariners game is “if Yasiel Puig did this, the world would end.”
The situation: Kyle Seager hit a shallow pop up down the left-field line. Jeter -- playing close to third on a shift -- went after it, as did left fielder Brett Gardner. Gardner almost got it but it popped out of his glove. Jeter’s back was to the field and he apparently didn’t see the umpire signal that it was a fair ball, so he just jogged after it. As he did so, half the ballpark was yelling at him that it was fair. But the time he figured it out, Seager was at third base.
On a night when the Mariners put up a ten-spot it ultimately didn’t make a difference. And because it’s Derek Jeter, I suppose he gets a pass. But it does go to show you that everyone screws up sometimes.