Derek Jeter was back at Yankee Stadium on Thursday afternoon, but it was not for anything directly associated with the franchise he helped win five World Series titles.
Instead, he joined his business partner Brian Lee to officially launch the Arena Club – a new sports card collecting platform that hopes to serve as a "bridge" between the long-lasting sports card collecting hobby and the up-and-coming world of digital sports collectibles.
In between talking about sports cards and the new business venture, Jeter opened up to Fox News Digital about the current New York Yankees’ rough patch down the stretch of the season.
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With a 15.5-game lead in the American League East dwindled to just five games ahead of their final game of their series against the Minnesota Twins, Jeter indicated the most important part of the skid was how they come back from it.
"Every team goes through a rough patch. It’s very difficult to win. I think a lot of times people assume that’s easy. If it was easy, everyone would be doing it," Jeter said. "Everyone goes through a rough patch, whether it’s on the field playing baseball or in business you’re gonna have bumps in the road along the way. That’s just a part of it but it’s how you bounce back from it."
Aaron Judge is also a storyline toward the end of the season. He hit his 55th home run of the season on Wednesday and is eying the American League record set by Roger Maris, who had 61 dingers.
"I think he can do it," Jeter told Fox News Digital, adding that he could not relate to what the pressure on him felt like because he was not a power hitter. "It’s hard enough to get a hit let alone a home run. The way he handled himself, especially here in New York, I think if anyone is capable of doing it it’s him."
The cross-city rival New York Mets are also among the favorites to make a run in the postseason and are having a difficult time closing the door on the defending World Series champion Atlanta Braves.
When asked about the possibility of another Subway World Series – either now or sometime in the near future – Jeter brushed off the idea.
"Oh, wow man, 2000? When was it before then?" Jeter asked with a laugh. "… There ya go.
"Can I see it happening? You never know."
