New York Yankees shortstop Derek Jeter just added another milestone to his Hall-of-Fame resume. In the bottom of the eighth inning against the Texas Rangers on Tuesday night, Jeter lined a double down the left-field line, giving him 535 for his career. That double broke the Yankees' all-time record of 534 set by the legendary Lou Gehrig.
The double also puts Jeter into sole possession of 35th place on baseball's all-time list. While #35 does not seem quite as impressive, consider the tens of thousands to have played the game -- and Jeter hit his doubles all with one team. Consider also that players rarely stay with one team for even five years now, and fans can safely assume that Jeter's team records for doubles and total hits (3,413 at the time of the double) are permanent.
Jeter currently ranks eighth on the all-time hit list. Next up is Carl Yastrzemski with 3,419. Jeter will likely pass him for seventh place by next week (if not before) barring any prolonged slump or time missed. He could move into sixth place past Honus Wagner (3,430) by early- to-mid-August. It would then take 84 more hits for him to crack the top five. That feat, though, is not as likely to happen before the end of the season and Jeter's retirement.