"Always up to something" - Derek Jeter pokes fun at David Ortiz’s goofy side during recent MLB reunion

Former New York Yankees captain Derek Jeter shared an epic rivalry with Boston Red Sox legend David Ortiz during their playing careers. However, the duo have become good friends since retiring from the sport.

The two are part of Fox Sports' MLB team that includes Jeter's former Yankees teammate Alex Rodriguez. Jeter poked fun at the former Red Sox icon during their meetup on Friday. He posted an Instagram story showing Ortiz displaying his goofy side.

"Always up to something," Jeter captioned his story.

(Image source - Derek Jeter's Instagram)

In another story, Jeter was seen with Ortiz and Rodriguez at the Bristol Motor Speedway. The venue is hosting the Atlanta Braves and Cincinnati Reds game on Saturday in the MLB Speedway Classic. It's the first time a major league game is being played in Tennessee.

"See you tomorrow," Jeter wrote in his story.

Per MLB, over 85,000 tickets have been sold for the game, surpassing the previous record of 84,587 set on Sept. 12, 1954, for a New York Yankees game.

The venue, known for racing events, expanded its horizons by hosting the “Battle at Bristol” between the University of Tennessee and Virginia Tech in 2016. The event set an NCAA football record with 156,990 spectators.

Ex-Jets quarterback Boomer Esiason speculates on Derek Jeter's absence

Derek Jeter won't attend the Yankees Old-Timers' Day later this month. The annual event will celebrate the 25th anniversary of the Bronx Bombers' World Series triumph in 2000. The former Yankees captain is reportedly skipping the event to celebrate his daughter's birthday.

However, former Jets quarterback Boomer Esiason does not believe that is the reason.

"I believe there’s an inaccurate part of this story out there,” Esiason said on Tuesday's episode of “Boomer and Gio.” “There is something going on, I believe. But I don’t believe it’s what everybody thinks it is. But maybe I could be wrong.”

Several members of the 2000 World Series team, including Hall of Famers Mariano Rivera and Joe Torre, will attend the event along with Roger Clemens and Alfonso Soriano. The event on Aug. 9 will also feature a traditional baseball game for the first time since 2019.

About the author

Chaitanya Prakash is an editor who covers US Sports at Sportskeeda. His first brush with sportswriting was in 2012 when the greatest football manager of all time, Sir Alex Ferguson, bid farewell to the beautiful game.

Although having started out professionally as a cricket writer in 2022, Chaitanya's curiosity and indiscriminate interest in all sports in general eventually introduced him to America's favorite pastime.

While Chaitanya's favorite player from the current crop is the dynamic Venezuelan Ronald Acuna Jr., his all-time favorite, however, is Pedro Martinez, for his self-belief and consistency. He also rates Jose Bautista's iconic bat flip in 2015 as his favorite moment in baseball history.

Chaitanya specializes in reporting on technical aspects of the game or analyzing patterns behind specific plays. He also likes pondering over players' self-assessments following the conclusion of a game as it helps him get an idea of how they think about the sport in general.

When not cheering for his favorites across sports, Chaitanya likes being transported to the past through a good war documentary or a historical documentary in general.

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Edited by Chaitanya Prakash