THE BRONX — Derek Jeter may not play baseball anymore, but the former shortstop has still found a way to hit a home run.
The famed Yankee wife Hannah Jeter announced Monday that she is pregnant with their first child, a baby girl, in an essay for The Players' Tribune, a media company that specializes in publishing athletes' first-person stories and was founded by her husband.
The essay, called "The Derek I Know," serves as a tribute to Derek and their relationship, opening with Hannah's admission that she initially thought he was a pitcher.
"I know it sounds strange that I didn’t know he was a shortstop," she wrote. "When a mutual friend introduced us while I was at dinner with my mom in New York, I didn’t really know who Derek was at all."
She announces the couple's pregnancy later in the piece, writing that Derek already has a name in mind and that she expects their daughter to "run circles around him."
She says the couple will work to make their children's lives "as 'normal' as possible" and that they will "have a little talk first" with any of them if they decide they want to play baseball.
"They’re going to be born into such an extraordinary situation. They’re going to have to be some strong little people," she wrote. "We don’t want them to be defined by their dad’s name — for them, we want him to just be 'Dad.'”
Derek and Hannah got married in Napa Valley last July, according to People, roughly two years after his final season with the Yankees.
The shortstop was a 14-time All Star with the team and helped lead them to five World Series titles during his career, which lasted from 1995 to 2014.
The team will retire his number on May 14, according to Hannah's essay.
The Yankees have not had a deep playoff run since his retirement, and the speculation about whether his child could change that has already begun.
The First overall pick of the 2036 MLB draft. The New York Yankees Select. Shortstop Derek Jeter Jr. #BabyJeets
— 🍊 (@MichaelFalitico) February 13, 2017
DEREK JETER'S CHILD WILL BRING ANOTHER GENERATION OF GREATNESS TO THE NEW YORK YANKEES
— Nolan Rabine (@nolanrabine) February 13, 2017
Derek Jeter Jr. future Yankee 2039.
— The Yankee Fan (@YankeeLiveTweet) February 13, 2017
