On Sunday, September 28th, Derek Jeter walked off the diamond for the final time in his career. As the Yankees will miss the postseason in 2014, Jeter’s 20 season campaign has officially come to an end.

Over the past week, emotions have run high for not only Jeter, but for baseball fans across the globe, as arguably the most respected player to step on the field is now leaving it.

Derek Jeter, better known as the “captain”, was drafted by the team in 1992, and made his first appearance in the MLB in 1995. Throughout his long career, Jeter has seen nothing but success. As a 14-time MLB all-star, 5-time Gold Glove Award winner, 5 time World Series Champion, and World Series MVP in 2000, his career is definitely one of great fulfillment.

Just as his entire career proved to be, Jeter’s final game in his beloved Yankee Stadium was dramatic and exciting in every way.

With the score tied in the 9th inning against the Baltimore Orioles, Jeter came up to bat with a man on second base. On the first pitch, Jeter ripped a line drive to right field, scoring the man on second and winning the game for the Yankees. As the crowd erupted, Jeter’s final game at Yankee Stadium ended in fantasy style, just as it should have.

As we see it now, the Yankees captain is not playing another inning in the MLB. Although this brings tears to the eyes of the MLB fan base across the world, Jeter said it best when he stated, “This was the right time”. There is no better way to put it. Derek Jeter, a genuine man, full of respect and passion for the game, deserves nothing short of an honorable exit of the game he transformed for the past 20 years.

An MLB player must have five and a half years of retirement to be eligible for the Hall of Fame. Next time we see Derek Jeter, the year will be 2020, and he will be walking up to the podium in Cooperstown, ready to give his Hall of Fame induction speech. Derek Jeter was not just another Yankee, he was the definition of a man, and the epitome of respect.