Photo: Todd Owyoung/NBC via Getty Images
Derek Jeteris opening up about a very unusual secret to his success.
“I once wore a thong in public in front of thousands of people,” Jeter read during theTrue Confessionalssegment of the show, where theTurn 2 Foundationfounder was asked to make a statement that could either be true or false.
After a brief debate between hostJimmy Fallonand fellow guestRita Ora, who both said it must be a lie, Jeter confirmed the amazing news.
“It is the truth,” he said of the secret good luck charm, as the audience erupted in cheers. “I’m going to ultimately regret playing this game, but let me explain.”
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Jeter then revealed that a Yankees teammate (reportedly Jason Giambi) had a gold thong “hanging from his locker” and would wear it whenever he felt the need to improve his luck with the bat.
“I thought the guy was crazy,” Jeter said.
That all changed, however, as Jeter struggled with a 0-for-32 slump at the plate. “In 2004 I went through the worst offensive stretch in my career,” Jeter told Fallon.
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In desperation, the Yankees legend finally turned to the golden thong in a last-ditch attempt to break his hitting drought. The result? The infielder hit a home run at his first at bat while wearing the thong under his uniform.
“The golden thong is legendary. It’s never not gotten a hit,” Giami saidin a 2015 interview with NJ.com. “It was his first slump. I don’t think the guy’s ever slumped in his career. He’s unbelievable. You know, the gold thong, he had to get out of it.”
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The hit in the golden thong was against the Oakland Athletics on April 29, 2004. That same year,Jeter won his first Golden Glove Awardand helped lead the Yankees to the ALCS.
Later on Wednesday’s show, Jeter told the story ofhow he became “The Captain” in 2003.
“I thought I was in trouble,” the dad of three daughters said of getting a call from the Yankees PR director saying “the boss” George Steinbrenner wanted to talk to him.
“There was this false narrative going around town that I was this big party animal,” he added of his reputation at the time.
“So he named me ‘Captain,'” Jeter continued. “I think he was literally like, ‘this guy doesn’t care what I say.'”
The title led to the 2022 ESPN docuseries,The Captain, where Jeter sat down for the first time to tell his story. Despite his candidness, Jeter admitted there were certain things he didn’t feel comfortable sharing.
“I think there are some things in your private life you keep private, and you just don’t share them,” he added.
The seven-episode docuseries, which premiered July 18, shared the former shortstop’s journey to baseball glory.
The docuseries included interviews with family, friends and even Jeter’s former pal and teammate,Alex Rodriguez. Though he opened up about much of his life, Jeter said he was careful with the information he shared for a reason.
“Once the toothpaste is out of the tube, you can’t put it back in,” the five-time World Series champion told PEOPLE. “So there are boundaries, and there are some things that I’m just — some lines I’m unwilling to cross.”
source: people.com
