The question of whether or not New York Yankees iconic shortstop Derek Jeter will play the final series in Boston's Fenway Park now officially has an answer. That answer is "Yes."
The Yankees have announced their Saturday afternoon lineup, and Jeter will serve as the designated hitter.
"Today’s #Yankees lineup: Ichiro RF, Jeter DH, McCann C, Headley 1B, Young LF, Drew SS, Pirela 2B, Ryan 3B, Perez CF, Tanaka P" — New York Yankees (@Yankees) September 27, 2014
Hitting as DH makes for a very good compromise for those who wanted Jeter's final game in Yankee Stadium to also serve as his final career game and those, especially Red Sox fans, who wanted that one last chance to see Jeter play. Should he DH only (or pinch hit), then at least he will have played his final game in the field at Yankee Stadium.
On the Saturday morning edition of Quick Pitch, MLB Network's Heidi Watney relayed a message from Jeter saying that he respects Boston fans too much not to play this weekend. He also stated that if he could not close out his career in Yankee Stadium, then Fenway Park is the next best place to do so. This is another classy move by a classy man and player.
After the euphoric celebration of a walk-off single in his final home game, Jeter sat out of the Yankees' 3-2 win over Boston Friday night. That leaves only Saturday's and Sunday's games left remaining in the Hall-of-Fame career for the Yankee captain, who has earned the privilege of deciding whether or not to play. Many other Yankee starters also sat out.
Saturday's game begins at 1:05 P.M.. EDT, and Sunday's begins at 1:35. No matter what else happens, these two games are the last times Derek Jeter will take the field in any capacity as a member of the New York Yankees' active roster. Congratulations to Jeter on a stellar career beyond belief.