New York Yankees icon Derek Jeter recently recounted a memorable moment from his career that involved a rather unusual strategy for overcoming a hitting slump. During Fox’s pregame coverage of Game 6 of the World Series featuring the Los Angeles Dodgers against the Toronto Blue Jays, Jeter revealed that he once donned a gold thong to break free from a challenging stretch at the plate in April 2004.
The peculiar tradition originated from Jeter’s teammate Jason Giambi, who had brought the “gold thong” ritual with him from his time with the Oakland Athletics. Jeter shared how he gradually learned about this quirky custom. “Every day I walked in, I saw this gold thong hanging from his locker,” he said. Initially hesitant to ask about it, Jeter finally inquired Giambi, who explained, “Anytime you slump, you wear the gold thong, you’re guaranteed to get a hit.”
At that point in the season, Jeter was in the midst of a 0-for-32 slump. As the pressure mounted, he eventually decided to try out Giambi’s unconventional remedy. “I have shorts on, I put the thong on top,” Jeter recalled. Remarkably, he hit a home run off pitcher Barry Zito on the very first pitch after putting on the thong, marking the end of his slump. “I have never in my career run around the bases that fast because I thought everyone in Yankee Stadium could see that gold thong,” he laughed.
In that game on April 29, 2004, Jeter finished with one hit in four at-bats, successfully breaking his dry spell with the leadoff home run. While he didn’t specify whether he kept the thong on for the duration of the game or removed it after crossing home plate, his comical recounting of the story highlights not only his sense of humor but also the sometimes eccentric traditions that bond teammates in the world of baseball.
This amusing chapter in Jeter’s career contributes to the rich lore of baseball camaraderie, demonstrating how even the most unlikely of rituals can have a significant impact on a player’s performance and morale.