Derek Jeter has four World Series title is his five seasons in the league -- not too shabby. (AP)

He was also named MVP of the World Series. This comes just three months after he became the first Yankee to be named MVP of the All-Star Game.

The Yankees shortstop has done nothing but get big hits and make dazzling plays in the field since he burst on the scene in 1996. And likewise, the Yankees have done nothing but win in that time.

You couldn't blame Jeter if he was, well, a little bored by all this. Winning is all he knows.

But it is the fire to keep winning that makes Jeter who he is.

"Every year is a different story," said Jeter. "I'd be lying if I said this one wasn't more gratifying. I mean, we struggled this year, we had tough times. Like I said before, winning isn't easy. We just make it look easy. It's something that's very difficult to do."

It's something that is easier for the Yankees to do when you consider all Jeter brings.

After his leadoff homer catapulted the Yankees to victory in Game 4, Jeter smoked a game-tying solo shot off Al Leiter in the fifth inning of Game 5.

He finished the series hitting .409.

Naturally, he wasn't taking much credit for winning the MVP.

"MVP, you could pick a name out of a hat," Jeter said. "It seems like we have a group of 25 MVPs. The first game, (Jose) Vizcaino came up with the game-winner. Paul O'Neill has come up big, our pitching staff, our bullpen. You don't rely on one guy. You have to get contributions from everyone."

But Jeter has been the one guy who has done the most through this five-year period of Yankee dominance. He became a star almost the second he set foot on the field in spring training of 1996, but his modesty is what has enabled him to keep getting better.

"After he won the Rookie of the Year, I had him in my office the following year, making sure all his priorities were straight," said Yankees manager Joe Torre. "He was straight on as far as what was important. This kid right now, the tougher the situation, the more fire he gets in his eyes. You don't teach that. It's something you have to be born with."

What Jeter is born with is an appreciation for just how much it takes to win every year. It is why, even after yet another championship, he refused to downplay the significance. He knows winning isn't just a rite of passage.

It happens because he plays on a team with a bunch of grinders.

"It's great," said Jeter. "You don't know when you're going to have an opportunity to get back, so you can't take these things for granted."

The way the World Series seems to follow Jeter around, don't expect it to take him too long to get back.