When Derek Jeter was told he would miss the remainder of the playoffs with a fractured ankle, New York Yankees general manager Brian Cashman said Jeter had “no response.” He was probably too stunned and disappointed to react.
Jeter had played in 158 playoff games for Yankees, a mark that attests to his durability and productivity. He has been able to play through myriad aches and pains over the years. But “it’s something you can’t play through.’ Cashman said. That’s something Doc had to emphasize, because Derek is as tough as they come.”
“His ankle is fractured, so he’s out,” manager Joe Girardi said. “He’s out.”
Jeter injured himself in the 12th inning of Saturday’s ALCS Game 1 6-4 loss to the Detroit Tigers.
He dove to his left as he attempted to field a ground ball off the bat of Tigers shortstop Jhonny Peralta, but his ankle twisted under him as he went to the ground. He flipped the ball to second baseman Robinson Cano to prevent a run from scoring.
Jeter stayed on the ground in obvious pain, and had to be helped off the field by Girardi and trainer Steve Donahue. He could not put any weight on his injured ankle. As he headed into the dugout, the Yankee Stadium crowd began to chant “Der-ek Je-ter! Der-ek Je-ter!”
“I just wasn’t sure if it was the knee or the ankle,” Cashman said. “He’s been dealing with the ankle so much. The only other time he’s had to get carted off the field was when he dislocated his shoulder in Toronto. He is as tough as they come, so when you see that, you know it’s serious.”
“For him to lay down on that field, I knew something was broke or torn completely,” Game 1 starter and fellow Yankees veteran Andy Pettitte said. “When I saw him not get up, I knew he was done, really. That doesn’t surprise me at all.
“It’s bad. It’s a bad loss. Obviously, it’s your captain and we got a game. We got to move forward and guys are going to step up to play out there. Just have to do a good job for us.”
Cashman said Jeter will undergo further testing. He added that Jeter will be ready for the start of spring training in 2013.
“It’s something that winter will take care of, but I’ve got only limited information and with the shock of the bad news, there wasn’t much dialogue after that,” Cashman said.
Jayson Nix will replace Jeter at shortstop. Cashman said that third baseman Alex Rodriguez would not be a viable option. Eduardo Nunez was added to the roster. “Is it a big loss? Yes,” Cashman said. “Is it something that’s going to stop us from dreaming about achieving our goal? No.”
