Derek Jeter’s Unique Slump-Breaking Technique

Derek Jeter has a memorable story about how he broke free from slumps during his baseball career.

In a recent chat with Fox, just before Game 6 of the World Series, the Yankees legend hesitantly revisited the well-known gold-thong anecdote. Fellow commentator Kevin Burkhardt teased Jeter, asking about his slump-busting strategies.

Burkhardt laughed and asked, “What did you do when you had a few slumps in your career?” Jeter chuckled and then shared an interesting tale from the 2004 MLB season involving a gold thong belonging to his former teammate, Jason Giambi.

“I didn’t really know Jason very well,” Jeter mentioned. “But I remember seeing a gold thong hanging from his locker every time I walked into the room. I thought it was a bit odd to ask him about it… But he told me that wearing it while in a slump would help you start hitting again.”

Jeter recalled looking at the thong—a reminder during a painful 0-for-32 streak in April that season—before finally giving in. Of course, he had to clarify, “I wore it over my shorts.”

When he finally donned Giambi’s gold thong, it coincided with an impressive home run off Barry Zito, the 2002 AL Cy Young winner. Jeter remarked, “I’ve never run the bases that fast in my whole career. I felt like everyone in Yankee Stadium could see that gold thong.”

His story not only amused the commentators but also drew a playful response from Red Sox great David Ortiz, who—seeing an opportunity—took a golden thong out of his jacket and tossed it at Jeter, jokingly suggesting, “You’re in a slump right now.”