"Derek Jeter's teammates were not surprised at all to see him collect three hits and knock in three runs on Monday. Watching Jeter take command of the game with a couple of clutch hits, including a rocket to the right-center-field gap for a two-run triple, looked very familiar to them.

It looked a lot like what they have seen over the last six weeks from him. It looked like vintage Derek Jeter, which made some of them scoff at the notion that he was ready to drift off into oblivion at 37.

"Anyone who thought Derek Jeter was done," Mark Teixeira said, "is crazy."

Jeter started the season slowly, with a .260 batting average on June 13, the last day he played before going on the disabled list with a strained right calf. But he has been one of the Yankees' most productive hitters since returning.

After his 3-for-4 performance Monday, Jeter went into Tuesday's game against the Kansas City Royals batting .283, the highest his average had been since May 10. Jeter has been a far more feared hitter at the plate over the last six weeks, although the exact starting point of his resurgence remains somewhat of a debate.

For Manager Joe Girardi, the turning point was after Jeter recorded his 3,000th hit on July, 9, a moment that the manager feels disencumbered his star shortstop from the pressure of reaching such a lofty milestone, although Jeter has never before exhibited signs of being overwhelmed by pressure.

"Getting his 3,000th hit and getting through it — I think it was something that really weighed on his mind," Girardi said. "It seems like he's really taken off since we've gotten beyond that.""