In the midst of a hitter’s slump, adjustments need to be made. Perhaps it’s the way the hands approach the pitch, or maybe it’s the entirety of the batting stance. It also could be as simple as wearing … a gold thong? Derek Jeter and his Hall of Fame tour that lasted two decades with the Yankees speaks for itself. Despite all of the accolades, he still struggled at the plate from time to time. Luckily, he had a teammate to help him out in the form of lingerie.
Yep, lingerie.
“I had a new teammate that I played with in 2002, and he always had a gold thong hanging from his locker,” Jeter admitted on Wednesday night during his appearance on The Tonight Show Starring Jimmy Fallon. “He told me, ‘Anytime you struggle, you wear the gold thong, you’re guaranteed to get a hit.'”
Did @derekjeter once wear a thong in public in front of thousands of people? Jimmy & @RitaOra try to get to the bottom of it in True Confessions! #FallonTonight pic.twitter.com/phc8CaiDHG
— The Tonight Show (@FallonTonight) February 2, 2023
Jeter thought this teammate of his “was crazy.”
Oh — and that teammate of his? It appeared to be former American League MVP Jason Giambi.
Jeter detailed his “worst offensive stretch in his career” that took place in 2004.
This bad stretch ultimately had the five-time World Series champion finishing the season slashing .292/.352/.471 with 188 hits, 78 RBI and an All-Star selection.
Whatever he was referring to during that time was obviously short-lived.
“Every day I’d walk in, he’d point at the thong, so finally I wore the thong,” Jeter added.
Jeter was quick to explain he had shorts under this magical piece of underwear. Not thong-to-skin.
Either way, it worked.
“First pitch — home run,” Jeter said.
Hey, whatever works.
About Jessica Kleinschmidt
Jess is a baseball fan with Reno, Nev. roots residing in the Bay Area. She is the host of "Short and to the Point" and is also a broadcaster with the Oakland A's Radio Network. She previously worked for MLB.com and NBC Sports Bay Area.