At first, it started out as any other Old-Timers’ Day introduction.

Michael Kay introduced Derek Jeter’s accomplishments, reading through the highlights of Jeter’s 20-year Yankees tenure, but then the YES Network play-by-play broadcaster — moderating the on-field ceremony Saturday — paused.

“Number two, Derek Jeter,” Bob Sheppard, the former Yankee Stadium public address announcer who died in 2010, said in a recording of how he’d introduced Jeter countless times in the past. “Number two.”

Jeter returned to Old-Timers’ Day for the first time since retiring in 2014, wearing his No. 2 jersey and smiling as he received an ovation and roaring cheers from the fans in attendance. 

Saturday also marked the anniversary celebration of the 1998 team — a group where Jeter starred by posting a .324 average, 203 hits, 84 RBIs and 127 runs — that swept the Padres to take the World Series.

“I’m still the youngest one here by the way, let’s just make sure everyone is aware of that,” Jeter said in an interview with YES Network about the 1998 team. “Twenty-five years is hard to believe.”

Jeter, 49, reunited with former Core Four teammates Mariano Rivera, Jorge Posada and Andy Pettitte during the pregame ceremony, though he didn’t get to actually play one of the Old-Timers’ Day games.

For the second consecutive year, the Yankees replaced the annual game with a Q&A that included the retired participants.

Instead, Suzyn Waldman and former manager Joe Torre hosted an on-field Q&A session with members of the 1998 team.

You talk about the ’98 team, I’m a little biased, but I put that team up against any team that’s ever played this game,” Jeter said during his turn.

Still, Jeter’s presence in The Bronx meant that he reconnected with plenty of his former teammates from the five World Series teams and the 15 others, and current Yankees captain Aaron Judge told The Post’s Peter Botte on Friday that it was “gonna be fun having [Jeter] back for everyone.”

“That’s a big deal. It’s Derek Jeter,” Yankees manager Aaron Boone, who played with Jeter in 2003, said Friday. “Pretty cool, pretty cool. Got to see him a couple of times this year, but it will be nice to have him here tomorrow. I know obviously the fan base is going to be pretty juiced about it, and frankly, all of our players.