Yankees legend Derek Jeter made his Fox debut as an MLB analyst Saturday afternoon during the Cardinals vs. Cubs showcase from England.
For the London Series, Jeter was flanked by host Kevin Burkhardt as well ex-teammate Alex Rodriguez and former Red Sox star David “Big Papi” Ortiz.
During the post-game telecast, Ortiz took the historic New York–Boston rivalry to another level when he presented the Yankees’ five-time World Series champion with a Red Sox jersey embroidered with Jeter’s name and his famous No. 2 on the back.
Jeter’s reaction was to immediately toss the jersey on the floor in utter disgust.
“C’mon man, it was a gift,” Ortiz exclaimed.
Jeter jokingly responded with, “It’s been a great time spending time with you guys here. You won’t see me anymore. This is my last day at Fox.”
David Ortiz gifted a Red Sox jersey to Derek Jeter for making his studio analyst debut 🤣
— Sports Illustrated (@SInow) June 24, 2023
(via @MLB)pic.twitter.com/SboDUzjnVB
In the pregame, Jeter chided Ortiz in response to a question from Burkhardt about where sitting next to his former AL East rival ranked in his career, both on and off the field.
“This is right there at the bottom guys,” Jeter jokingly responded. “It doesn’t get any worse than this. No, in all honesty, I’ve enjoyed getting to know Papi. I’ve known him obviously playing against him, but getting to know him the last few days here in London, which I’m sure we’ll see a little bit of later, it’s been awesome. I couldn’t wait for this to start, and I’m looking forward to it.”
Papi would later mockingly present Jeter with a gold crown.
Welcome to the crew, @derekjeter! 👏 pic.twitter.com/FEcOkvuvYw
— FOX Sports: MLB (@MLBONFOX) June 24, 2023
This rivalry, which clearly hasn’t dimmed with the two stars now off the diamond, is going to must-watch TV for MLB fans going forward.
