Derek Jeter moved closer to 3,000 career hits in the eighth inning Wednesday night when he doubled off Indians starter Justin Masterson for his 2,997th career hit.

With the Yankees trailing 3-0, Jeter belted a one-out double to right-centerfield, the team's third hit off Masterson. 

The double was his sixth career hit against Masterson.

Cleveland managed to strand Jeter, and a comeback attempt in the ninth fell short, as the Indians won, 5-3.

Jeter would be just the 28th player in Major League Baseball history -- and the first Yankee -- to reach the 3,000-hit milestone.

Jeter missed 18 games in June and early July with a strained right calf and returned to the Yankees' lineup on the Fourth of July. He went 0-for-4 that day, then collected a single and double on Tuesday night.

Cleveland is tied for eighth on Jeter's all-time hit list. He has 171 hits against the Indians, same as the Seattle Mariners. Next on that list is the Detroit Tigers with 173. The Yankees have a four-game series coming up at home against Tampa Bay, a team that given up 267 career hits to Jeter. That's fourth on his hit list.

Jeter's 3,000th hit would tie him with Roberto Clemente for 27th all-time. 

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