He wasn’t a Derek Cheater. But he sure was petty.
Speaking about his former teammate’s betting habits on Barstool Sports’ “Pardon My Take” podcast, Padres pitcher Phil Hughes said Derek Jeter would pay off his lost wagers with change.
“He had this thing. He liked to do small little wagers every now and then. But he was such a competitor that if he lost, he would pay you pennies,” Hughes recalled.
“So it would be like a hundred bucks on something stupid like a college football game that’s going on or something. And if he lost, he would literally have a bag of pennies the next day. And it wasn’t like a dollar. It was a hundred bucks. It’s a lot of pennies.”
Hughes said Jeter — now part-owner and CEO of the Marlins — “probably had to send someone to a bank and do a special request to pay you in pennies.”
32-year-old Hughes played for the Yankees from 2007 to 2013, winning a World Series with Jeter in 2009.
As for Jeter, his acquisition of the Marlins is a bet that he is waiting to pay off. Miami sat in fourth place in the NL East standings at 44-59 entering Wednesday.
His penny-pinching gambling habit makes a mockery of hit famous $ 189 million, 10-year contract with the Yankees which saw him retire in 2014 as the second-biggest career earner in the history of baseball.
According to Forbes, Jeter walked into retirement having amassed a personal fortune of $ 400 million in player wages and endorsement deals with high-profile brands, including Nike’s Jordan Brand and Gatorade.
The five-time MLB World Series champion and 14-time All Star hasn’t stopped winning in retirement.
Known as one of sports’ greatest bachelors, Jeter finally gave up the single life when he became engaged to Sports Illustrated swimsuit model Hannah Davis.
Jeter retired as arguably baseball’s greatest off-field player, romantically linked with an impossible number of celebrities, actors and models.
Mariah Carey, Jessica Alba, Jessica Biel, Scarlett Johansson, Adriana Lima Minka Kelly and Tyra Banks had all been romantically linked to Jeter before his marriage to Davis in 2016.
