Derek Jeter Notches Eighth 200-Hit Season, Tying Lou Gehrig

New York Yankees captain Derek Jeter tied a club record Wednesday as he smacked his 200th hit for the eighth time in his career during the team’s 2-1 win over the Blue Jays.

“I’ve always felt as though if I’m healthy and go out and play every day, it’s something I’d have a chance to do, because I’ve pretty much been hitting at the top of the order,” Jeter, 38, said of his achievement, which now puts him tied with Lou Gehrig for most 200-hit seasons as a Yankee. “It’s a lot of hits. I’m proud of it, but more importantly, we’re just trying to win games. I try to be consistent, and if you’re consistent throughout the course of a year, you have a chance to do it.”

In case you’re wondering, only three players in MLB history have had more 200+ hit seasons than Jeter: Ty Cobb (9), Ichiro Suzuki (10), and Pete Rose (10).

“It’s incredible,” Yankee skipper Joe Girardi said. “You think about a guy who’s 38 years old, and you’re not sure they’re going to get the at-bats to get 200 hits. He still has 14 games left. It just shows you how great of a player he is and how great of a year he’s had for us.”

Derek’s milestone hit, which came in the game’s first inning off Toronto starter Ricky Romero, also extended his hitting streak to 13 games.

In his previous 12 games, Jeter was 22-for-55 (.400).

For the season, Jeter, who currently leads all Major League players this season in hits, is batting .322, with 15 home runs and has scored 93 runs.

The longtime Yankee shortstop also recently passed Willie Mays for 10th place on the all-time hits list.