Derek Jeter has seen a lot of fastballs in his life. He also has very little patience for bad historical takes.
Before he sat down with Colin Cowherd on Monday to promote the MLB All-Star Game, Jeter made sure the host understood something. No more Nolan Ryan questions. Not this time.
“Last time I was on your show, you asked me about facing Nolan Ryan. Let’s just hope you got your facts straight this time,” Jeter said, according to Awful Announcing.
Cowherd laughed it off. But the story behind the joke is worth unpacking.
The original blunder
Back in 2024, Jeter appeared on The Herd and Cowherd tried to connect him to Paul Skenes by referencing the past. “Paul Skenes, Pittsburgh, dominant guy. Overpowering. You faced, obviously, you were in the Nolan Ryan era,” Cowherd said.
Jeter shut that down fast. “No, no, no, no. Slow down. Slow down. No, I was way after Nolan.”
He wasn’t entirely wrong. Ryan debuted in 1966 and retired after the 1993 season. Jeter debuted in 1995. So there was a one-season gap where neither was on a big league field. Not exactly the same generation.
What Jeter actually saw
The Hall of Famer faced over 1,300 different pitchers during his career. That list includes 104 plate appearances against Roy Halladay and 99 against Pedro Martinez. There are names like Tim Wakefield and even outfielder-turned-pitcher Jonathan Van Every. But Nolan Ryan is not on that list.
Cowherd has a habit of mixing up eras. Jeter clearly remembers. And now he’s making sure everyone else does too.
The moment was light. Jeter smiled. Cowherd took the ribbing. But it’s a reminder that athletes pay attention to what’s said about them, even years later.
Jeter faced Hall of Fame pitchers. He just didn’t face that one.
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