Derek Jeter feels the love from the fans as Yankees honor his Hall enshrinement

Derek Jeter has long called Yankees fans “the best in the world.”

Those fans — the ones who managed to score tickets, at any rate — showered the iconic shortstop with adulation Friday night during a pregame ceremony honoring Jeter’s induction into the Hall of Fame

In truth, it wasn’t much different from the way fans reacted to him during his 20-year career in pinstripes.

“Feels good to be back, I’ll tell you that much,” said Jeter, feted with the familiar “De-rek Je-ter!” chants throughout the ceremony. The chants sometimes drowned out the public address system (though when he spoke, the crowd was mostly silent).

Speaking afterward, Jeter, who retired after the 2014 season and fell one vote shy of unanimous induction into the Hall, said, “It feels like forever that I’ve been here.”

“I did miss the place,” said Jeter, who was joined on the field for the ceremony by his wife and three daughters as well as former teammates CC Sabathia, Tino Martinez, Andy Pettitte, Jorge Posada and Mariano Rivera and longtime manager Joe Torre. “This is home for me. Of course I missed Yankee Stadium.”

Jeter had appeared three times previously at the Stadium since his retirement — in 2016, when the Yankees honored the 1996 team; May 14, 2017, when the Yankees retired his uniform No. 2, and last July, for a special screening of the just-released ESPN documentary on his life.

"I know you guys haven't seen a lot of me over the last few years, for various reasons,” Jeter -- who served as the Marlins' CEO and a franchise shareholder from 2017 through this past February, when he resigned from both -- told the crowd. “But I really truly do look forward to hopefully seeing a lot more of you here in the near future."

Social media took that and ran with it but, speaking after the ceremony, Jeter said of that comment: “I wouldn’t read too much into it.”

“Now that that is behind me,” Jeter said of his time with the Marlins, “I’m looking forward to spending more time here.”

Managing general partner Hal Steinbrenner, booed during Paul O’Neill’s jersey retirement ceremony last month, presented a check worth $222,222.22 to Jeter and his Turn 2 Foundation. Steinbrenner again was booed loudly. “You guys better cheer, trust me,” a smiling Jeter told the crowd.

When Jeter mentioned general manager Brian Cashman, the boos forcefully came down again.  "I see you guys are ready for the playoff push," Jeter said to laughter.

During a news conference afterward, Jeter said “I was surprised” by the boos for Steinbrenner and Cashman but caught himself, apparently remembering his own experience in that department (most famously during a 0-for-32 slump).

“They boo everybody here. I’ve been booed before,” Jeter said with a smile. “Yankees fans expect excellence, they’re never satisfied, which is a good thing. Yankee fans boo because they want to cheer, that’s the way I look at it.''

Which overwhelmingly was the sound of the ceremony as Jeter, who amassed a franchise-record 3,465 hits — which ranks sixth in MLB history — heard nothing but cheers from the crowd, as well as both teams’ dugouts, which were crammed with players and staff.

Among those watching in the home dugout was Aaron Judge, whom Jeter said he has gotten to know a little bit in recent months and whom he has admired from afar, especially this season as he pursues 61 home runs.

“I can't relate to it,” Jeter said. “I mean, it's hard enough to get a hit. I don't know how you can go up there and hit as many home runs as he has. Not saying he's trying. Because the thing about Aaron that is impressive is that he hits for high average. It's not all or nothing. He's not swinging for the fences and striking out 250 times. He's hitting for high average, he's carrying the team. And it's pretty remarkable what he's been able to do here under the spotlight in New York.”

Cashman said in 2015 that Jeter likely would be the last player given the title of “captain.” (If Judge, a free agent after the season, returns to the Yankees, there will be a drumbeat for him to be so named.)

“I think you find out that answer by talking to his teammates,” Jeter said of Judge being named captain. “I’ve watched from afar and he’s a very impressive individual. Just talking to him, he’s impressive. But I think to get a fair assessment of that, you just talk to his teammates. In saying that, everyone speaks glowingly of him, so I think that probably answers your question.”