Derek Jeter went 1-for-4 with a single yesterday and in doing so surpassed Tony Gwynn on the all-time hit list, moving into a tie with Robin Yount for 17th place with 3,142 hits.
Next up is Paul Waner with 3,152, followed by George Brett with 3,154 and Cal Ripken Jr. with 3,184. If healthy Jeter should be able to pass all three easily by the end of the season even if his batting average falls significantly from his current .372 mark.
And if he keeps hitting well over .300 he also has a chance to pass Nap Lajoie with 3,242, Eddie Murray with 3,255, and Willie Mays with 3,283.
Based on his average production during the past three seasons Jeter has notched 1.23 hits per game and the Yankees have 128 games remaining. If he plays in, say, 120 of those 128 games and gets 1.23 hits per game Jeter would amass another 147 hits this season and climb to 3,289 for his career.
That would enable him to narrowly move past Mays in late September and finish the season ranked 11th on the all-time list, with Eddie Collins at 3,315 and Paul Molitor at 3,319 in his sights for 2013.
