Derek Jeter’s entry into the world of baseball, and the bright lights of New York City was like a dream. He entered the team he loved the most, the New York Yankees, and by 1997, not only had he won his first World Series ring, but he also started wooing Mariah Carey. The first time Derek and Mariah met was a complete chance encounter at a restaurant which also marked the first time she was seen out without her then-husband Tommy Mottola.
Even though this was the first time the Yankees’ shortstop interacted directly with the pop star, Mariah was already a big part of Derek’s life, as she aptly mentioned in her memoir ‘The Meaning of Mariah Carey.’
“Derek hadn’t just walked into a room and into my life…”
Jeter had long been smitten with Mariah Carey, and when he had another chance encounter, he didn’t miss his shot. Described by Mariah’s manager as “the kid who’s crazy about you,” a young Derek desperately asked the pop diva to sign a photo for him.
But Mariah Carey’s presence in Derek Jeter’s life wasn’t limited to personal/ fan interactions; it even quietly seeped into his professional rituals. What truly cemented Derek Jeter’s status in New York, and the entire country were his exploits in baseball with the Yankees. And Mariah Carey’s song “Anytime You Need a Friend” became a part of his pre-game routine.
“That night he and I met, he told me “Anytime You Need a Friend” was his favorite song and that he listened to it before every game.”
What followed after the restaurant meet was a headline-creating fling for tabloids and a comfortable and happy space for both Mariah Carey and Derek Jeter. However, like many fairytales, theirs was short-lived, and the couple parted ways in 1998.
A brief timeline into Derek Jeter and Hannah Davis’ marriage
Almost two decades after his relationship with Mariah Carey came to an end, Derek Jeter married his girlfriend for four years, Hannah Davis. Unfamiliar with Derek’s popularity in NYC, or his glorious Yankees career, the couple first met through mutuals in an NYC restaurant in 2012. The couple started dating quietly until they started making regular public appearances.
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In 2015, through a blog post about his dog Kane on The Player’s Tribune, he subtly revealed his engagement to Hannah Davis. In July 2016 the couple married in Napa Valley in a small intimate ceremony and have been living happily ever since.
