Derek Jeter’s missing vote

A year after former teammate Mariano Rivera becomes the first unanimous first-ballot selection for the Hall of Fame, longtime Yankees shortstop Derek Jeter four years ago today (2020) comes within one vote of becoming the second unanimous first-ballot pick for Cooperstown.

While Rivera – New York’s incomparable closer – appears on all 425 ballots cast in 2019 by the voting writers, Jeter’s name appears on 396 of 397 ballots in 2020.

Turns out the lone missing vote for unanimity comes from a blank ballot the Hall of Fame receives from San Diego Union-Tribune sports columnist Nick Canepa.

Canepa’s identity as Jeter’s lone holdout vote is not known – Hall of Fame voters are allowed to remain anonymous – until two years ago, when Canepa in a New Year’s Day 2022 confessional of a column writes, “Just as my 2020 Hall ballot for modern players went back empty, 2021’s had no names checked, either.”

Missing by just one of getting all of the votes annoys Jeter.

Understandably so, considering Jeter’s 20-year career includes 3,465 hits – the sixth highest total in history – one Rookie of the Year Award, 14 All-Star Game selections, five Silver Slugger Awards, five Gold Gloves, five World Series titles and, perhaps most impressive of all, nary a bad word from the often-critical New York media.

“Thank you to the baseball writers,” Jeter later says in Cooperstown at the start of his induction speech before adding with a smile. “All but one of you.”