Is there any other player in Major League Baseball that leads a more charmed life than New York Yankees Derek Jeter?
A fan catches his 3,000th hit and immediately gives the ball back-- no ransom or demand for his first born. Even his recent breakup with actress Minka Kelly has a silver lining. Think of the bevy of starlets and hotties lining up for the chance to land the bachelor.
Now tonight, the Yankees Captain hits a ball to the the opposing shortstop who throws what is called an apparent out by the first base umpire, only to have the call overturned by the home plate umpire-- without any challenge by Jeter or any of the Yankees coaches.
Just walked over and changed the call in Jeter's favor. Imagine that happening to anyone else?
In the bottom of the third inning against the Toronto Blue Jays, with the score tied at two, Jeter hit a roller to Blue Jays shortstop Yunel Escobar who tossed the ball to first baseman Adam Lind, who apparently made a swipe tag for the out. That's how first base umpire Phil Cuzzi saw it. Not so fast, we're talking Derek Jeter here.
Home plate umpire James Hoye walked over and told Cuzzi he missed the tag and Jeter was ruled safe. It's rare to see an umpire overrule another ump's call without being asked for their opinion. Cuzzi easily relinquished the final call to Hoye without issue.
The compliant Jeter took his base while Escobar flipped out. He wasn't to pleased to see his 5-3 out turned into an E-5.
If you look at the video, in the background, there is a fan in a yellow sweater who makes the safe call with his arms. It looks like Hoye took a cue from this guy and got the call right.
Only Jeets could be so fortunate.
