Derek Jeter wowed Yankees fans with his batting skills and his athletic throws in the field SWEET SWINGING SHORTSTOPS The New York Yankees pitcher glances at the Boston Red Sox player on first base and then throws the pitch The batter hits a ground ball up the middle of the diamond New York shortstop Derek Jeter dives for the ball He jumps to his feet and throws it to second base The second baseman catches the ball and flings it to first The umpire signals out Jeter started a game saving double play 4
FACTS AT A GLANCE BARRY LARKIN PLAYED FOR THE CINCINNATI REDS ERNIE BANKS WAS THE FIRST PLAYER IN CHICAGO CUBS HISTORY WHOSE JERSEY NUMBER WAS RETIRED BY THE TEAM FOR 19 SEASONS DEREK JETER IS THE ONLY PLAYER TO WIN THE ALL-STAR GAME MOST VALUABLE PLAYER MVP AWARD AND THE WORLD SERIES MVP AWARD IN THE SAME SEASON OZZIE SMITH WAS NICKNAMED THE WIZARD OF OZ Major League Baseball MLB started in 1903 By that time people had been playing the sport for over fifty years The game has changed in many ways since its beginning One of the biggest changes came in 1947 That year Jackie Robinson right became the first Black player to take the field in MLB Before then no Black players were allowed to play in the league Many of the greatest Black players in history never had the opportunity to play in the major leagues 5
Shortstops usually play between second and third base They have to be quick to get to hard hit balls Shortstops also need strong arms to throw the ball all the way across the field to first base Alex Rodriguez was a skilled shortstop for the Seattle Mariners and the Texas Rangers for 10 seasons before taking over at third base for the Yankees 6
Barry Larkin of the Reds was one of the greatest defensive shortstops of all time Shortstops are often strong offensive players as well Some of the best use their speed to score runs Others are great power hitters The best shortstops in baseball history have been able to do both It can be hard to rank the greatest shortstops Many great players have played the position The best shortstops are some of the greatest of all time g.o.a.t. 7
