"Everyone says it's cheating, but what did I do?" - When Derek Jeter bluntly dismissed criticism after controversial call vs Tampa Bay Rays

Derek Jeter is known for his relentless work ethic and honesty in the game. The former New York Yankees shortstop built a persona of a good guy in an era of off-field controversy. But even a Hall of Famer like him had to deal with a blip in his career.

During a game between the Yankees and the Tampa Bay Rays in the 2010 season, Jeter was seemingly hit on the hand by pitcher Chad Qualls. After the home plate umpire, Lance Barksdale, called 'hit by pitch' and asked him to advance to first base, Jeter continued to sell it and show that he was in pain.

However, the replays showed that the ball never hit any part of Derek Jeter's hand or wrist. It had ricocheted off the bottom of the bat handle. The former Yankees' captain advanced to first base and later scored, giving his team a 3-2 lead.

However, they couldn't hold onto it, with the Rays coming from behind to win 4-3. Former Rays manager Joe Maddon had vehemently opposed the call, which led to his ejection. It caused a lot of stir off the field, especially because it involved Derek Jeter, who was respected for his morals.

After the game, he gave his explanation, saying (via ESPN):

"Everyone says it's cheating, but what did I do? The ball hit the bat, he told me to go to first. How is that cheating?" "You don't want it to look like he's completely wrong. If you get hit with a pitch, it usually hurts. My job is to continue to sell it, I guess. You don't want him to reverse the call," Jeter added.

Some would argue that justice was served as the Yankees lost. For others like Yankees general manager Brian Cashman, Jeter gave them a chance to win.

"That's winning baseball, as simple as that. Winning baseball," Cashman had said. "He put us in a position to almost win a game and that's his job. If you're going to pitch in, you run the risk of hitting a guy or creating the perception of hitting the guy. That's on the pitcher."

Derek Jeter said media overblew the incident

The five-time World Series winner had defended himself at the time by saying that the incident did not deserve so much attention since the New York Yankees had lost.

"This is not the first time this has happened, guys," Jeter said. "And by the way, we lost the game. Must have been a slow news day."

Manager Joe Girardi had also chimed in, saying the severity of the incident was unnecessarily heightened because Jeter was involved.

"I think if it wasn't Derek Jeter, and it wasn't that series, people wouldn't be talking about it," he said.

While Yankees players did get involved in unwanted gossip during the 2000s and early 2010s, the media in the Big Apple, too, was called out for villainizing them.

Edited by Parag Jain