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Derek Jeter played in seven World Series and won five of them. He also competed with Team USA during the first two World Baseball Classic tournaments in 2006 and 2009.
As talk of the WBC atmosphere rivaling the World Series grows louder, the former Yankees captain, Fox analyst and Hall of Famer stuck to his trademark script.
“I think the people that say it’s bigger than the World Series never played in a World Series,” Jeter said Tuesday during FS1’s pregame coverage ahead of the championship game between Venezuela and Team USA.
“I think people are always trying to compare what’s bigger. … It’s completely different. When you retire, they ask, ‘How many championships did you win?’ for a reason. Playing in a World Series, going through a 162-game schedule plus the postseason, is difficult to do.”
Jeter’s remarks come on the heels of several high-profile major leaguers saying the possibility of winning the WBC and bringing glory to their country would mark the biggest accomplishment of their career.
Braves superstar and Venezuela standout Ronald Acuña Jr. said to ESPN his team’s victory over Italy to reach the 2026 WBC final was “No. 1 for me in my career.”
Before the D.R. was eliminated, Mariners star Julio Rodriguez said, that compared to a possible World Series victory, “winning the World Baseball Classic would be top of the list.”
Most notably, Aaron Judge, who succeeded Jeter as Yankees captain, called the tournament atmosphere “bigger” than the World Series after leading his team to a 2-1 win over the Dominican Republic on Sunday.
“I’ll say, it’s been bigger,” Judge told reporters. “The World Series I was in versus the crowd here and the one we had against Mexico, it’s bigger and better than the World Series.
“The passion that these fans have representing their country, representing some of their favorite players, there’s nothing like it.”
Judge’s comments also puzzled Yankees announcer Michael Kay, who said he couldn’t “wrap my mind around” the sentiment.
Unlike Acuña and Rodriguez, Judge has World Series experience as he helped lead the Yankees to the 2024 Fall Classic, which the Dodgers won in five games. Acuna was injured when the Braves won it all in 2021.
Jeter acknowledged the pride players feel representing their country in the WBC, a tournament in which he hit a solid .347/.439/.429 across 14 total games.
But, after appearing in seven Fall Classics, Jeter said that it’s still a “completely different” baseball stage.
“Doesn’t take anything away from the WBC,” Jeter said. “It is an absolute honor, I’ve done it a couple of times, it’s an honor to wear the USA across your chest. How this tournament has grown over the last 20 years is impressive.”
“This really unites fans. I remember playing for the US, running into Boston and them telling me, ‘Hey, I hate the Yankees, but I’m going to enjoy rooting for you the next two weeks. So it doesn’t take anything away from the WBC [but] it’s completely different.”
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