Derek Jeter lifted in 5th inning

— -- BOSTON -- Derek Jeter left Saturday's game between the New York Yankees and the Boston Red Sox for a pinch hitter in the fifth inning.

There was no immediate word on why Jeter was removed from the game, but the 40-year-old captain seemed to be moving gingerly as he returned to the dugout after legging out a third-inning infield single. It seemed odd that manager Joe Girardi would take him out that early, even with the Yankees trailing 9-0 after a poor performance from starter Masahiro Tanaka.

"He's going to play today," Girardi said before the game. "I think he's a guy that feels a real responsibility to the game and that's part of his reason for playing today. He respects the fans and what they've done. I think he understands the magnitude of the situation, he understands how important the fans have been to the game of baseball."

Girardi said the plan was for Jeter to play the final two games of the season at Fenway after requesting Friday off following his emotional Yankee Stadium farewell on Thursday night, capped off by his walk-off single in the bottom of the ninth to secure a 6-5 win over the Baltimore Orioles.

"He needed a day to decompress and I respect that," Girardi said. "I really understand people want to see him. We'll just let it play out. We had talked about a couple of at-bats, and let's see what happens."

If Jeter is unable to play on Sunday, he will have finished with 3,464 hits, good for sixth-most in the history of baseball.