Astros' Mauricio Dubon admits Derek Jeter is his hero in wholesome exchange with Yankees icon: "You're the reason I love this game"

Astros utility man Mauricio Dubon has scarcely a year old when Derek Jeter made his debut for the New York Yankees. Now, the young player has had the chance to tell the Hall of Famer how much his legendary career impacted him.

Dubon, the second MLB player ever to be born in Honduras, moved to California in 2009 at the age of 15. While playing at Capital Christian High School in Sacramento, Mauricio Dubon modelled his own play at shortstop after that of Derek Jeter.

Ahead of Game 5 of the ALCS, Mauricio Dubon came face-to-face with his hero. In a heartfelt interaction, the 29-year-old told Derek Jeter how much he had meant to him, and how he himself had drawn inspiration from the Yankees icon.

"'You're the reason I love this game.' Mauricio Dubon tells @DerekJeter that he is the reason he fell in love with the game of baseball" - FOX Sports MLB

Sitting next to Jeter and former Boston Red Sox slugger David Ortiz, Dubon delivered the hearfelt message. According to Dubon, Jeter was the reason he "fell in love with this game".

Dubon went on to explain how many young baseball stars in his home nation of Honduras know Jeter, and how the rivalry between the New York Yankees and Boston Red Sox was a fixture of his early years growing up in the Central American Nation.

In Game 4 against the Texas Rangers, Dubon recorded his first-career postseason RBI against Max Scherzer. Now with a series tie in the ALCS, Dubon and company will be looking to take a lead in the series on Friday at Globe Life Field in Arlington.

"Mauricio Dubón drives in the Astros FIFTH run of the night!" - Foul Territory

During the time that Astros' second baseman Jose Altuve spent on the IL this season, Mauricio Dubon was able to fill the gap. In a career-high 132 games for the Houston Astros during the regular season, Dubon hit .278/.309/.411 with 10 home runs and 46 RBIs.

Mauricio Dubon is one of thousands to have been inspired by Derek Jeter

Over his 20 years in MLB, Derek Jeter won five World Series, fourteen All-Star appearances, and was inducted into the Baseball Hall of Fame. However, his sportsmanship and devotion to the game was what really made him an icon. Like many others, Dubon is fully correct when he cites the legendary Jeter as a real-life reason why he chose to pick up a baseball in the first place.