Didn’t Lose a Step: Derek Jeter Homers on First Pitch Back From DL

Derek Jeter boasted that he was ready to return to the New York Yankees dugout and one pitch after he took the plate he proved it.

The All-Star shortstop homered on the first pitch he saw, his first at-bat Sunday, in the Yankees’ 6-5 win over the Tampa Bay Rays.

The slugger finished the game 2-for-4 with two runs scored and an RBI as the Yankees won on a game-clinching single in the ninth from newly acquired Alfonso Soriano.

“I said, ‘Thank God,’ because I didn’t want to go out there and play in extra innings because I was tired,” said Jeter. “We need contributions from a lot of people. It is not like I’m some savior.”