Skip to main content

Jeter homers as Yankees beat Blue Jays 3-2

By WTOP Staff

RONALD BLUM
AP Sports Writer

NEW YORK (AP) — Derek Jeter turned on R.A. Dickey’s fastball, sent it deep into the left-field seats and circled the bases at Yankee Stadium for the first time in 14 months.

With his usual flair, Jeter began his final homestand in dramatic fashion.

Jeter’s solo homer gave the Yankees a two-run lead in a 3-2 victory over the Toronto Blue Jays on Thursday night, a game the Yankees won when first baseman Adam Lind let Chase Headley’s ninth-inning grounder bounce through his legs for a game-ending error.

With virtually no chance of reaching the playoffs, Jeter has just seven home games left in his 20-year big league career.

“Obviously this year up until this point hasn’t turned out how I’d like to, but you’ve got to keep fighting. You’ve got to keep battling,” Jeter said. “It’s another game. I’m trying not to think about it being the last homestand. We still have a week left. We’re trying to win games, and I’m going to go out there and play hard like I’ve always done my entire career until we’re out of games.”

Dickey stretched his scoreless streak against the Yankees to 19 innings before Stephen Drew’s RBI double in the fifth. Jeter sent an 82 mph pitch about 10 rows deep for his 150th Yankee Stadium home run, including 12 in the postseason. New York’s 40-year-old captain ended a 158 at-bat homerless streak with the sixth-inning drive, just the fourth home run of the season and his first at home since July 28 last year against Tampa Bay’s Matt Moore.

Jeter smiled widely as he circled the bases and exchanged high-fives with teammates when he reached the dugout. Given a standing ovation by adoring fans, Jeter didn’t come out for a curtain call because he didn’t want to interrupt Brian McCann’s at-bat.

“I’m sure he’s trying to soak this up as much as he can,” Yankees manager Joe Girardi said. “It’s really difficult to take your uniform off. When you’re used to doing something for such a long time, it’s difficult. He understands what’s coming. It’s a big change of life for him, but he loves to play so much that I’m sure he’s going to enjoy it as much as he can.”

Jeter’s average had dipped below .250 during an 0-for-28 slide — the second-longest of his career — before he singled at the Rays on Wednesday night. Jeter beat out an infield single in the first on a grounder shortstop Jose Reyes double-clutched, and had his first multihit game since Aug. 26. He was robbed of a hit in the fourth by left fielder Kevin Pilar, who made a diving backhand catch.

New York (78-74) moved ahead of Toronto (77-75) for sole possession of second place in the AL East. The Blue Jays started the season 38-24 and led the AL East by six games before play on June 7 but have gone 39-51 since, losing five in a row.

“It’s disappointing for everybody,” Dickey said. “We’ve been a streaky team all year, both bad and good, and right now we’re in the middle of a bad streak.”

While the Yankees closed within five games of Oakland for the AL’s second wild card with 10 games remaining, Fangraphs.com calculates they have just a 0.3 percent of making the playoffs.

” I can’t worry about what I’ve done up until this point. I’m just trying to have one last homestand here,” Jeter said. “Hopefully, we have a few good games left in us.”

Reyes singled with two outs in the eighth and Jose Bautista tied the score when he homered off Shawn Kelley on an 0-2 pitch, slamming his bat as he neared first base. Bautista homered in his fourth straight game against the Yankees and has hit seven of his 33 homers this year against New York.

David Robertson (3-6) came in and pitched a perfect ninth, and Chris Young singled off Aaron Sanchez (2-2) leading off the bottom half. Pinch-runner Antoan Richardson stole second, Brett Gardner sacrificed him to third on a 3-2 pitch and, with the infield in, Headley hit a two-hopper that went under Lind’s glove and through his legs. Richardson, who had held up, trotted home.

“It’s nice to catch a break,” Headley said.

Leaning against the dugout railing, Jeter raised both arms in triumph.

“I don’t know how many extra-inning games I’ve got left in me,” he said, ‘so I’m happy we won.”

BACK IN THE CLUBHOUSE

Yankees OF Carlos Beltran returned, two days after he left the team following his wife’s miscarriage.

TRAINER’S ROOM

Blue Jays: C Dioner Navarro pinch-hit and stayed in the game after missing Wednesday’s game because of dizziness. He was hit on the mask by a foul tip Tuesday.

UP NEXT

LHP Mark Buehrle (12-9) starts the second game of the series Friday against Yankees RHP Hiroki Kuroda (10-9).

Copyright 2014 The Associated Press. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed.

Don’t Settle for Student Loans to Pay for Online Education

By WTOP Staff
Online college programs are becoming a more popular choice for prospective students, with one study finding that more than 6 million students enrolled in at least one online course in fall 2015. The popularity of these courses can be attributed in part to their flexibility with working adults' schedules, students' ability to progress more quickly through online programs and, oftentimes, cheaper tuition. [See 10 low-cost online bachelor's programs for out-of-state students.]Online degrees can be beneficial to many college students, but some studies have shown online learners complete their programs at lower rates than students at traditional brick-and-mortar campuses. Individuals with student loans but no degree comprise two-thirds of defaulted borrowers. Though these numbers are not encouraging, just like for traditional programs, there are ways to reduce how much you'll need to borrow for an online program to ensure you won't become one of these statistics. Don't just settle on borrowing student loans to cover the whole cost of your program and living expenses. Instead, start thinking about how to cut costs and cover your balance in different ways, such as the following. -- Grants and scholarships: Even though you are taking an online course, you can still apply and receive grants and scholarships. But your first step should be to complete the Free Application for Federal Student Aid, commonly referred to as the FAFSA, which will allow you to receive a Pell Grant if your expected family contribution is low enough. The EFC criteria and award amounts are adjusted annually, but the 2017-2018 academic year awards range from $606 to $5,920, which could significantly lower the amount you borrow annually. Your next step is to apply for scholarships. You can start by checking online scholarship search engines, such as the Salt Scholarship Search, College Board's BigFuture and Peterson's. But don't forget to take advantage of local organizations and your school's financial aid office. Both may offer scholarships that you can't find with a national scholarship search. [Review these 10 sites to kick off your scholarship search.]For instance, organizations like the Elks Club, Knights of Columbus or the Rotary Club typically offer scholarships annually to local students. Just because you're going to school online doesn't mean you're ineligible. Visit your local library for scholarship listings, and ask around town. You might be surprised how many local organizations offer scholarships. While these scholarships typically aren't large, every little bit counts. Each dollar you receive in a scholarship is a dollar you don't have to borrow and pay interest on. -- Work-study: Another option for online students may be work-study awards. Not all students enrolled in online programs are eligible, but students at some schools -- including, for example, SUNY Empire State College and Liberty University -- are. Work-study awards are not given upfront like scholarships and grants. In most cases, they are an offer to earn up to the awarded amount if you secure an eligible work-study job. While there is a misconception that all work-study jobs must be on campus, students can work for off-campus, nonprofit or public employers as long as the work is in the public's interest. You may be able to work for a for-profit employer if the job is relevant to your course of study. No matter who the outside employer is, it will need to have an established agreement with your college for you to receive work-study funds. Remember, to be eligible for federal financial aid, you must be enrolled and pursuing a degree or certificate. If you're not working toward a credential, Pell Grants and work-study won't be option, but you may still be able to take advantage of private scholarships -- just be sure to read the eligibility criteria carefully. [Explore what to know about financial aid in online programs.]-- Pay as you go: One of the great benefits to enrolling online is the flexible schedule, which can allow you to complete your college coursework around your responsibilities. But prospective students often overlook using their part- or full-time job earnings as an option for paying for college. Almost 80 percent of college students in 2015 worked at least part time while attending classes, according to the National Center for Education Statistics. By budgeting and thinking strategically about your college costs, you can likely reduce your dependence on student loans by paying a portion out of pocket. Many -- but not all -- online programs are less expensive than traditional programs and often have shorter payment periods. Six, eight or 10 weeks are common course durations. Because of the frequency of payments in an online setting, you may be well-placed to pay as you go and possibly avoid borrowing altogether. Attending college online and avoiding student loans may be challenging, but if you are willing to put in the effort, you can limit the amount you need to borrow. More from U.S. News Q&A: Understanding Student Loan Discharge Eligibility Student Loan Refinancing Isn't Right for All Borrowers
Read Next Story

Related News

Frustration grows in Venezuela as earthquake death toll reaches 1,430

Israel and Lebanon sign framework agreement with US in ‘first step’ toward peace, Rubio says

Trump-endorsed populist poised to become Colombia’s next president as rival challenges vote