The Yanks legend who wanted to meet Trevino

June 23rd, 2022

This story was excerpted from Bryan Hoch’s Yankees Beat newsletter. To read the full newsletter, click here. And subscribe to get it regularly in your inbox.

couldn’t believe his good fortune, clutching an invitation to attend a screening of ESPN’s upcoming documentary series “The Captain,” which will chronicle the life and career of Yankees legend Derek Jeter.

Making his way to the Tribeca Film Festival after a recent Yankees home game, the catcher planned to attend purely as a fan -- maybe munch some popcorn and take in the first episode of the seven-part series, which will appear in living rooms everywhere on July 18 (ESPN and ESPN+).

Trevino felt a tap and someone pointed toward Jeter: “He wants to meet you.” Trevino didn’t believe it at first, but sure enough, the Hall of Famer wanted to introduce himself. Trevino beamed and excitedly gripped Jeter’s hand, just as he would later at his locker, recounting that moment.

“It was awesome,” Trevino said. “A lot of people want to meet their heroes; most people don’t get to. I'm not going to sit here and tell you I wasn't excited to meet him -- I was super pumped. But I was excited about the conversations we had; it was really good.”

Trevino politely declined to detail the contents of his conversation with Jeter, but Trevino idolized Jeter as a kid growing up in Corpus Christi, Texas -- he even read Jeter’s 2001 book, “The Life You Imagine,” written with Jack Curry. Trevino vividly recalls watching on television as Jeter stroked a game-winning hit in his final Yankee Stadium at-bat on Sept. 25, 2014.

“I remember exactly where I was,” Trevino said. “I was in Arizona for instructional league, in my hotel room by myself -- I think I was in room 208. It was just a perfect ending for him; you couldn't script it any better. Just being able to watch him, how he went about his business day in and day out, as a kid that looked up to him -- I think it was really cool.”

Directed by Randy Wilkins, “The Captain” aims to tell Jeter’s story with extensive candid interviews, calling upon Jeter, his family, teammates, rivals and observers.

Episode 1 -- which Trevino got to see early -- digs into Jeter’s upbringing as a biracial kid in the Midwest and his journey to the Majors, featuring never-before-seen footage of Jeter being drafted by the Yankees.

“Unreal,” Trevino said. “I’m excited for the fans to watch it. I think it’s going to be really cool.”