MANHATTAN — Derek Jeter became the first Yankee to be named Sports Illustrated's Sportsman of the Year Monday after leading the Bronx Bombers to their 27th World Series title in November.
"It's unbelievable. It was completely unexpected. It came out of the blue," Jeter told The Associated Press.
"When I heard it, what can you say? It's one of the greatest honors you can achieve in sports," he said.
The 35-year-old Captain batted .334 with 18 home runs, 66 rbi and 30 steals in 2009, and on Sept. 11 he got his 2,722nd hit to pass Lou Gehrig's record for most career hits as a Yankee. Jeter now has a total of 2,747 hits.
The shortstop also earned his fourth Gold Glove for his defensive work this year, committing just eight errors, ESPN reported. Jeter also made his 10th All-Star game appearance in his 14-season career.
More than just his stats, Jeter's off-field, good-guy reputation earned him the award, according to Sports Illustrated.
"It's about the manner of the striving and the quality of the effort, too," Terry McDonell, group editor for Sports Illustrated, said in an interview with ESPN. "Off the field he has grown so much as a member of the community."
Since 1996, Jeter's Turn 2 Foundation has given more than $10 million to programs devoted to keeping kids off drugs and alcohol, according to ESPN.
The last Sportsman of the Year awarded to baseball players went to the 2004 Boston Red Sox team for their historic World Series run.
Last year, the award went to Gold Medalist swimmer Michael Phelps. Jeter is the 56th recipient of the award, joining sports megastars such as Lance Armstrong, Chris Evert and Michael Jordan.
