TRENTON (The Phanatic Magazine) - Waterfront Park in Central New Jersey wasn't exactly a Field of Dreams on Saturday but a bit of baseball immortality did come knocking when New York Yankees superstar Derek Jeter started at shortstop and batted leadoff for the Trenton Thunder in a rehab appearance against the
defending Eastern League champion Altoona Curve.
Jeter, of course, is six hits shy of becoming the 28th player in Major League Baseball history to join the 3,000-hit club and the first in Yankees pinstripes, a quest that has been placed on hold since June 13 when the 11-time All-Star went down with a strained right calf.
The Yankees' captain came to the plate in the bottom half of the first with Bruce Springsteen's Glory Days as his backdrop, and Bob Sheppard's voice announcing him before grounding a single between third and short off Curve starter Mike Colla.
Jeter got to test the calf quickly when Thunder second baseman Corban Joseph chased him to third with a double down the first base line and Austin Romine followed by driving him in with a deep fly to center.
"We play this game every day for a reason. You have to get into a rhythm," Jeter said. "If you take three weeks off you are going to be off a little bit. I wanted to take a few pitches my first couple at bats just to see some. I am happy with what happened, but I have to get into game shape."
Jeter's first chance in the field came in the top of the second when the veteran easily turned a tailor-made 6-4-3 double play after a soft grounder by Altoona catcher Tony Sanchez.
The Yankees star kept busy from there before exiting in the bottom of the fifth inning with a Thunder holding a 2-0 edge. Curve first baseman Matt Curry robbed Jeter of an extra-base hit and an RBI in the bottom of the second, making a diving stab on a line drive.
Meanwhile, in the fourth Jeter made all three putouts behind Thunder starter Craig Heyer, including a brilliant play where he ranged far to his left to snare a Josh Rodriguez grounder before nipping the infielder at first with a one-hop throw.
"I was more concerned with running after I swung," Jeter said. "On the ball up the middle where you have to spin and throw off-balance, I think that was a test. Even the ball to the right that was slow and I dropped to one leg that was a test. I am happy with how everything went."
Jeter finished the game 1-for-2 with a run scored and a walk with five assists. He was pulled after drawing the bases on ball from Colla in the fifth, exiting for pinch runner Jose Pirela.
"I feel good," Jeter said. "I did a lot of things and moved around quite a bit, so I am happy with how it went. I was nervous coming in. I hadn't played in three weeks, so there were some nerves and I didn't sleep much last night."
You could sense things were a little different with Jeter around. Nearly 60 media credentials were issued on Saturday by the Thunder, the Yankees' Double-A affiliate that usually has just four of five reporters and a few interns covering their games.
Meanwhile, a standing room only crowd of just over 9,000, the second largest crowd in franchise history, was in attendance in the quaint little ballpark on the shore of the Delaware River, where Jeter last played from May 7-11, 2003 while rehabbing a shoulder injury.
Several hundred of those fans, many of them decked out in Jeter's famous No. 2 jersey watched the 37-year-old take batting practice and he didn't disappoint, taking about 20 hacks and knocking one over the left field wall before running the bases backwards.
The Captain is now scheduled to play another rehab game with the Thunder on Sunday before returning to the red-hot Yankees on Monday in Cleveland.
New York has excelled in Jeter's absence, going 14-3 and taking over first place in the American League East from the Boston Red Sox. His replacement at perhaps the game's most important defensive position, Eduardo Nunez, has shown flashes.
Although raw, the young Nunez has provided the aging Yanks with some juice and energy, amassing 11 extra-base hits in 115 big league at bats this season compared to Jeter's 12 in 262 ABs. Over his last two games against the New York Mets, Nunez is a sizzling 7-for-8 with three doubles and a home run.
"He's played well," Jeter said of Nunez. "I texted him and told him to keep working. It seems like he is very confident. He's done a great job. He's gotten an opportunity to play and he’s doing well."
Asked if he knew of Wally Pipp - the player Lou Gehrig replaced to begin his streak of 2,130 consecutive games - Jeter deadpanned:
"I do. I'll be back on Monday."
Despite the media's fascination with Nunez, no one in Yankee-land is telling Jeter to slow down his rehab.
"He looked great, really good, as you saw," Yankees general manager Brian Cashman said. "This day could not have gone any better."
Most understand the veteran is on the downside of a spectacular career and the days where he competed for MVP awards and Gold Gloves are likely gone, but in a game obsessed with statistics, Jeter's true value has never been measured by numbers.
Simply studying a box score will never illuminate Jeter's innate feel for the game. His flawless base-running. His hustle. His willingness to embrace big moments and his ability to handle the fans and media in the nation's largest media market.
He should be back to giving the Yankees all those intangibles in Cleveland on America's birthday, which also would have been George Steinbrenner's 81st special day.
The legendary, late Yankees owner probably wouldn't have wanted it any other way since a return early next week would put Jeter on track to reach 3,000 at Yankee Stadium during a four-game stretch against Tampa Bay from July 7-10.
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