Today in Cooperstown, New York, longtime New York Yankees relief ace Mariano Rivera was inducted into the National Hall of Fame and Museum as the first player to be unanimously elected by the BBWAA. With 652 regular season saves, 42 in the postseason and 4 more in the All-Star Game, Rivera saved nearly 700 games in Major League Baseball. This is the showcase piece in a six-part series featuring the greatest moments in the careers of the 6 men being inducted into Cooperstown. With the other candidates, I’ve chosen 10 great moments with a few extras (“bonus moments”). Of course, choosing the top 10 Mariano Rivera Hall of Fame moments is like trying to choose just 10 great movies in the history of film.
With all due respect to his fellow closer going into the Hall today (Lee Smith), Rivera has dozens of moments of greater import than Smith’s best. That’s partly due to Mariano’s unique excellence and also a function of his good fortune of making his MLB debut just as the Yankees were ready to be a long-term dynasty again.
Anyway, in the process of researching and finding video for some of Rivera’s greatest moments, I came up with about 20 that I enjoyed watching and remembering. There’s no law that says one must make a “top 10” list but that still has a ring to it so I’ve subjectively picked 10 “Hall of Fame moments” while also sharing multiple “bonus moments” because I think, if you’re a Rivera fan, you’ll enjoy watching them again. I thought about just labeling 20 Hall of Fame moments but, for those readers who are time challenged and want a “short version,” I’m giving you a top 10 and the rest along the way.
However, ranking those top 10 moments from 1-to-10 is a subjective exercise I decided not to entertain so I’ve presented these great moments from Mo’s career in chronological order.
Most of these great Mariano moments will present themselves with a YouTube pop-up within the body of the piece. In some cases, the video clip is underlined. Click on these, a second browser will appear instead because the technology of the clip won’t allow it to pop up in the piece. Technology, go figure.
If you’re a Yankees fan and/or a Mariano Rivera fan, this is a piece worth bookmarking. It’s a visual recap of a brilliant career.
Let’s go!
(cover photo: New York Times/Richard Perry)
Bonus Moment: July 4, 1995 (Yankees v White Sox)
In the piece about Mariano Rivera that I posted shortly after January’s Hall of Fame vote, I chronicled the improbable journey that Rivera traversed in his rookie campaign of 1995. Briefly, Rivera came up as a starting pitcher and struggled in his first 4 outings (10.20 ERA). As I noted in my tribute to the great moments of Edgar Martinez’ career, it was the Mariners’ star hitter who helped send Rivera back to the minors by homering off him in the first inning of that fourth start.
Anyway, Rivera returned to the big leagues 23 days later with new life on his fastball (a “gift from God” he has always asserted). In a start against the Chicago White Sox in the new Comiskey Park, Rivera tossed 8 innings of scoreless ball, allowing just 2 hits with 11 strikeouts and 4 walks.
If you want to re-watch this or any other clip after it’s finished, hit the re-fresh button on the bottom of the frame.
It didn’t go quite that well in the rest of 1995 for Rivera; by September manager Buck Showalter was using the 25-year old right-hander exclusively out of the bullpen.
Mariano Rivera Hall of Fame Moment #1: Oct. 4, 1995: ALDS Game 2 (Mariners v Yankees)
Thanks to the new playoff format in Major League Baseball, the New York Yankees made their first postseason appearance since 1981 as the American League’s Wild Card team.
Mariano Rivera made the first of 96 career postseason outings in a high leverage situation in Game 2 at Yankee Stadium. The Yankees and Seattle Mariners went into extra innings with the score tied at 4.
In the top of the 12th, Yankees closer John Wetteland gave up a solo home run to Ken Griffey Jr. followed by a single by Edgar Martinez. Wetteland had already thrown 50 pitches and was clearly out of gas. Showalter summoned Rivera into the game with 2 outs in the top of the 12th. Facing his first-ever postseason batter, Rivera struck out Jay Buhner on 4 pitches. In the bottom of the frame, Ruben Sierra doubled in a run to force the game into the 13th inning tied at 5.
Rivera pitched two perfect innings in the 13th and 14th before getting into a bit of trouble in the top of the 15th. Singles by Martinez and Buhner put two runners on with just one out but Rivera then struck out Doug Strange and got Tino Martinez to fly out to center field.
All told, Rivera would toss 3.1 innings of scoreless ball (2 H, 0 BB, 5 K).
Rivera was the winning pitcher in the bottom of the 15th when Jim Leyritz hit a solo HR to deliver a 6-5 win and 2-0 series lead for the Bronx Bombers.
Bonus Moment: Oct 8, 1995: ALDS Game 5 (Yankees v Mariners)
Although the Yankees had a commanding 2-0 series lead, the Mariners would tie the series at 2 games apiece, thanks to the Game 3 pitching exploits of Randy Johnson and the Game 4 hitting display by Martinez.
Game 5 at the Kingdome in Seattle would be an all-time classic. Yankees starter David Cone heroically threw 147 pitches but was laboring in the 8th inning; a solo homer by Griffey and a bases loaded walk to Strange tied the score at 4. With two outs and the sacks still full, Showalter went to his hot young bullpen hand, bringing Rivera in to put out the fire. Mariano promptly struck out Mike Blowers looking on 3 pitches to get the Yankees out of the jam.
In the bottom of the 9th, with the score still tied, Rivera gave up a leadoff single to Vince Coleman followed by a sacrifice and intentional walk to Griffey. The next batter was Edgar Martinez. Considering that Edgar was 6 for 7 with 2 homers and a walk in 8 plate appearances against Mariano, it’s understandable that Showalter would prefer another option. And, considering that Wetteland had given up a grand slam to Martinez the night before, one can excuse Buck for going in a different direction than his closer as well.
The Yankee manager turned to veteran starter Jack McDowell. Black Jack got the job done by striking out Martinez but Edgar got the best of him two innings later on the famous double that scored Griffey from first and sent the M’s to the ALCS.
1996: A Star is Born
In his first full season as a MLB reliever, Mariano Rivera had a brilliant 1996 campaign as the primary set-up man to Wetteland. In 107.2 regular season innings, Rivera went 8-3 with a 2.09 ERA and was ultimately honored with the 3rd most votes in the Cy Young balloting. The Yankees, under new manager Joe Torre, were the A.L. East champions, matched up against the Texas Rangers in the ALDS.
The Yankees won the series 3 games to 1, with Rivera tossing 4.2 innings of scoreless ball in two of the victories.
Bonus Moment: Oct 9, 1996: ALCS Game 1 (Orioles v Yankees)
In the ALCS, the Yankees took on the Baltimore Orioles, the A.L. Wild Card entrant under new manager Davey Johnson, who had a history in New York, having won the 1986 World Series with the Mets.
Game 1 was a game that will always be remembered, but not necessarily for how it ended. This was the Jeffrey Maier game. In the bottom of the 8th with the Yankees trailing 4-3, Derek Jeter hit an opposite field solo home run. It looked like the Orioles right fielder (Tony Tarasco) had a chance to catch the ball but was interfered with by a young Yankees fan (Maier). There was no replay at the time so the call stood.
The game remained tied after 9 innings; Torre brought in Rivera to face the meat of the Orioles order. Despite giving up three hits, Rivera navigated the 10th and 11th innings without giving up a run.
Rivera was the winning pitcher when Bernie Williams walked it off in the bottom of the 11th. The Yankees would go on to defeat the O’s in 5 games, with Mariano delivering another 2 scoreless frames in a Game 4 victory.
Mariano Rivera Hall of Fame Moment #2: Oct. 26, 1996: World Series Game 6 (Braves v Yankees)
The Yankees, in the Fall Classic for the first time in 15 years, were matched up against the Atlanta Braves, the defending World Champions. The Braves, with a rotation of 3 future Hall of Famers (Greg Maddux, Tom Glavine and John Smoltz) were the heavy favorites. Still, after the Braves took the first two games at Yankee Stadium, the Bronx Bombers came back to win Games 3, 4 and 5.
In Game 6, the Yankees scored 3 runs off Maddux in the 3rd inning to take a 3-0 lead. By the time the 7th inning arrived, the score was 3-1. Torre went to his set-up man; Rivera tossed two scoreless innings in the 7th and 8th before to preserve the lead for the Yankees. Wetteland closed in the 9th and the Yankees had their first World Series title since 1978.
This was the last game in Rivera’s 19-year career that he wasn’t the Yankees’ ninth inning option. For the entire ’96 postseason, Mariano gave up just one run in 14.1 innings for a 0.63 ERA.
Rivera became the team’s closer in 1997. He made his first All-Star team (and pitched a scoreless 9th for the save). The Yankees returned to the playoffs but lost in the ALDS to the Cleveland Indians. Yes, it’s true that Rivera had a rare blemish by blowing a save in Game 4 when he gave up a game-tying home run to Sandy Alomar Jr.
The Historic 1998 Season
The 1998 Yankees were one of the best teams in baseball history; they won 114 regular season games, swept the Rangers in 3 games in the ALDS and then vanquished the defending A.L. champion Cleveland Indians in the ALCS in 6 games. Rivera appeared in 7 of the 10 games in the LDS and LCS, tossing 9 innings of scoreless ball.
In the Fall Classic, the Yankees would face the San Diego Padres, who featured future Hall of Famers Tony Gwynn and Trevor Hoffman. The latter, of course, would wind up with 601 career regular season saves, second only to Mariano. The Yankees won Games 1 and 2 at Yankee Stadium, with Rivera getting the save in Game 1.
Game 3 would be the pivotal one in the series. The Padres had a 3-2 lead after 7 innings. After set-up man Randy Myers walked the leadoff batter in the top of the 8th, Hoffman was called upon by manager Bruce Bochy for a six-out save. Hoffman had been brilliant in the regular season, posting a 1.48 ERA while tying a N.L. record with 53 saves. It was a season so sublime that Hoffman actually got more first place Cy Young votes than Glavine, who barely won the award based on down-ballot votes.
Anyway, Hoffman retired the first batter he faced but then walked Tino Martinez. With two runners on and one out, Hoffman gave up a three-run home run to Scott Brosius; all of a sudden the Yankees had a 5-3 lead. With one out and a runner on second in the bottom of the inning, Torre brought in Rivera for a five-out save. Rivera allowed that runner to score but no more, securing the 5-4 victory for the Yanks.
This was the only game ever in which Mariano Rivera and Trevor Hoffman both pitched.
Mariano Rivera Hall of Fame Moment #3: Oct. 21, 1998: World Series Game 4 (Yankees v Padres)
In Game 4, behind 7.1 innings of scoreless ball by Andy Pettitte, the Yankees had a 3-0 lead in the 8th inning when Rivera came in for a four-out save. Mariano was summoned with two outs and runners on first and second. The first batter he faced (Ken Caminiti) singled to right, loading the bases. Rivera got his former teammate Leyritz to fly out to center field to end the threat. In the bottom of the 9th, Rivera closed out the game and the series, giving the Yankees a 4-game sweep and a record 125 total wins for the season (regular season and postseason combined).
This was the first of four times that Mariano Rivera would be on the mound at the end of the game to celebrate a Yankees World Series title. For the overall postseason, Rivera pitched 13.1 innings without giving up any earned runs (he did allow two inherited runners to score). At this point in his playoff career, Mariano had a 0.51 ERA over 35 innings.
1999 Postseason
The Yankees won the A.L. East again in 1999, this time with 98 wins. Rivera saved 45 of those wins, a save total that led the majors. In the playoffs for the fifth straight season, the Yankees swept the Rangers in 3 games in the ALDS, setting up the first ever ALCS matchup between the Yanks and their longtime league and division rivals, the Boston Red Sox.
Bonus Moment: Oct. 13, 1999: ALCS Game 1 (Red Sox v Yankees)
On October 13th, the Yankees and Red Sox contested that first ever playoff game. 1978 doesn’t count, that was a division tie-breaker and technically a 163rd regular season game. In this first playoff tilt between the longtime enemies, the game went to the 9th inning tied at 3. Rivera pitched a scoreless 9th and a scoreless 10th to keep the game tied.
Rivera became the winning pitcher on another Bernie Williams walk-off homer (this one off the Sox’ Rod Beck). The Yankees would go to easily win the series in 5 games, with Mariano saving Games 2 and 4.
Bonus Moment: Oct. 26, 1999: World Series Game 3 (Braves v Yankees)
The 1999 World Series was a rematch of the ’96 Fall Classic, with the Yankees and Braves facing off. The Yankees swept the first two games in Atlanta, with Rivera saving Game 1.
In Game 3 at Yankee Stadium, Rivera entered another tie game in the 9th, just as he did against the Red Sox in the ALCS. Once again, Mo pitched a scoreless 9th and 10th and, once again, he was the winning pitcher thanks to another walk-off tater, this one by journeyman outfielder Chad Curtis.
Mariano Rivera Hall of Fame Moment #4: Oct. 27, 1999: World Series Game 4 (Braves v Yankees)
In the 8th inning of Game 4, with two outs and runners on the corners, Torre brought Rivera in from the pen to protect New York’s 3-1 lead. He promptly got future Hall of Famer Chipper Jones to ground out to 2nd to end the scoring threat. In the top of the 9th, Rivera pitched a perfect inning to save his 6th game of the postseason to go with his 2 wins.
Rivera was named the World Series MVP for his 3 saves, win and 6.1 innings of scoreless ball.
In 8 postseason games overall (12.1 IP), the Sandman did not give up a single run, yielding 9 hits with one walk and 9 K’s. When you combine the 1998 and ’99 postseasons, Mariano threw 25.2 innings without giving up an earned run. His career postseason ERA at this point was 0.38.
2000 Postseason
By his standards, 2000 was an off-year for Mariano Rivera. His ERA was 2.85, the second worst mark he would ever post as a full-time relief pitcher. It was an off-year for the team as well. While the Yankees captured the A.L. East title again, they did so with only 87 wins.
The Yankees needed a full five games to beat the Oakland Athletics in the ALDS (oh, the horror) and six games to vanquish the Mariners in the ALCS. Rivera saved all 3 Yankee wins in the LDS and Game 3 of the LCS.
Mariano Rivera Hall of Fame Moment #5: Oct. 17, 2000: ALCS Game 6 (Mariners v Yankees)
In the clinching Game 6 against Seattle, entering in a non-save situation, Rivera actually gave up a run (after 26 postseason games and 33.1 innings without a blemish)!
In the top of the 9th inning, the M’s had the tying run at the plate, with Edgar Martinez the batter. At this point in their respective Hall of Fame careers, Martinez owned a .889 average against Rivera (8 for 9) but Mariano finally got the better of his arch-rival, getting Edgar to ground out to Jeter to end the game, securing a 4th trip to the Fall Classic in just 5 years.
Hall of Fame announcer Bob Costas, calling the game for NBC Sports, ended the out call with the phrase, “start spreading the news, New York, New York.” The Yankees would face their rivals from Queens (the Mets) in the World Series for the first time.
Subway Series
As New York City prepared for the excitement of its first Subway Series since the Yankees and Brooklyn Dodgers tussled for the last time in 1956, I couldn’t help but handicap the series by sizing up just two players: Mariano Rivera and Armando Benitez, the closer for the Mets. In Game 1 at Yankee Stadium, Benitez blew a 3-2 lead in the 9th inning. Rivera, meanwhile, pitched two scoreless innings of relief and the Yankees won it in 12 innings.
Game 2 showcased a rare dent in the armor of Super Mariano. Rivera was tasked with protecting a 4-run lead in the 9th inning. He preserved the win but not before giving up a 3-run home run to Jay Payton. This was one of only two postseason homers he would ever give up, the other being to Alomar Jr. in the 1997 ALDS.
Regardless, a couple of days later, Rivera returned to form. In Game 4 at Shea Stadium when the Yankees had a 3-2 lead to protect, Rivera did what Benitez could not in Game 1; he tossed two scoreless innings to secure the victory.
Mariano Rivera Hall of Fame Moment #6: Oct. 26, 2000: World Series Game 5 (Yankees at Mets)
In Game 5, the Yankees and Mets were tied at 2 after 8 innings, with the Yanks taking a 4-2 lead in the top of the 8th on a 2-run single by Luis Sojo. Needless to say, it was Mariano time.
Thanks to a one-out walk to Benny Agbayani, Rivera had to face the Mets’ catcher Mike Piazza (another future Hall of Famer) embodying the tying run at the plate. Piazza flew out to deep center field for the last out of the game, clinching the series for the Yankees. For Rivera, it was his third straight season in which he was mobbed on the mound after wrapping up a Fall Classic victory for his teammates in pinstripes.
In his career overall, Rivera faced 11 future Hall of Fame batters in post season action: Piazza, Martinez, Griffey, Chipper, Jim Thome, Vladimir Guerrero, Eddie Murray, Tony Gwynn, Cal Ripken Jr., Roberto Alomar and Ivan Rodriguez.
In 38 plate appearances, those Hall of Fame batsmen hit .206 with a .289 OBP, and a lowly .206 slugging percentage (no extra base hits for any of them).
The 2001-03 Postseasons
We take a brief interlude in the brilliance of Mariano Rivera to note that, in 2001, he actually blew a save in Game 7 of the World Series. In 10 previous postseason outings in ’01, Rivera gave up one run in 14.2 innings for a 0.61 ERA, a run of the mill performance for Super Mo that resulted in 5 saves and 2 wins.
Backing up for moment, in the ALDS, Rivera tossed two scoreless innings to save Game 3 (the Derek Jeter “flip” play game that was won by fellow 2019 Hall of Fame inductee Mike Mussina). He followed that up with another two-inning save in the decisive Game 5. In the ALCS, a five-game series win against the 116-win Seattle Mariners, Rivera saved two more games and won another in relief.
In the World Series against the Arizona Diamondbacks, Rivera saved Game 3 and was the winning pitcher in Game 4 (the Jeter “Mr. November game). In Game 7, with a 2-1 lead to protect, Rivera lost when Luis Gonzalez hit a broken bat bases loaded bloop over the drawn in infield. It was just Rivera’s 2nd postseason blown save against 24 successfully converted chances.
In 2002, the Yankees failed to advance to the LCS for the first time since 1997, falling to the Anaheim Angels in four games.
In 2003, thanks in part to two six-out saves by Rivera, the Yankees defeated the Minnesota Twins in 4 games, setting up a ALCS rematch against the Red Sox. Rivera saved both Game 3 and Game 5 at Fenway Park, both times recording six outs.
Mariano Rivera Hall of Fame Moment #7: Oct. 16, 2003: ALCS Game 7 (Red Sox v Yankees)
The Sox won Game 6, setting up the first winner-take-all New York-Boston contest since the ’78 A.L. East tiebreaker. As if the game and rivalry itself didn’t have enough gravitas, the pitching matchup featured Roger Clemens for the Yankees and future Hall of Famer Pedro Martinez for the Red Sox.
On this night, Clemens didn’t have it, giving up four runs by the 4th inning. Famously, Boston manager Grady Little left Martinez in a bit too long; the Yankees tied the score at 5 in the 8th inning.
Torre brought Rivera into the tie game in the top of the 9th and the Sandman proceeded to toss 3 scoreless innings to keep the game going. The Red Sox (then and now) are a team that makes you work for your outs. Rivera needed to throw 48 pitches to secure those 9 outs; it was the second highest pitch total of his postseason career, second only to his initial playoff outing in 1995.
In the bottom of the 11th, Aaron Boone hit the first pitch from Tim Wakefield deep into the left field seats to make Rivera a winner and send the Bronx Bombers back to the World Series. For the second time in three years, the Yankees would fall in the Fall Classic to one of the recent expansion franchises, this time the Florida Marlins.
Rivera finished the 2003 postseason with a 0.56 ERA in 16 innings over 8 games.
2004-2008
This is a piece celebrating the greatness of Mariano Rivera so we won’t dwell on Game 4 and 5 of the 2004 ALCS, games in which he blew saves to the Red Sox as Boston completed a historic comeback from having been down 3 games to none. In the ’04 regular season, Rivera set a career high with 53 saves, which led the majors. The 17th of those 53 saves was the 300th of his career.
In 2005, Rivera added another 43 saves to go with a career-best 1.38 ERA. In 2006, he saved another 34 games, including his 400th.
The Yankees made the playoffs in 2005-07 but failed to advance past the first round in any of those playoffs.
In the 2008 season, the Sandman posted his second best ever ERA (1.40) en route to another 39 saves. In that season, however, the first year under new manager Joe Girardi, the Yankees failed to make the postseason party for the first time since 1993 (the strike-shortened season, 1994, doesn’t count).
Mariano Rivera Hall of Fame Moment #8: June 28, 2009 (Yankees at Mets)
In 2009, Rivera “struggled” (by his standards) in the first three months of the season, posting a “ghastly” 3.07 ERA in 29 games. Still, he converted 17 out of 18 save opportunities, which included the 499th of his career on June 25th.
On June 28th, the Yankees and the Mets met for the third game of a three-game series. This was a Sunday night tilt on ESPN, beamed to a national TV audience.
In the bottom of the 8th inning, with the Yankees clinging to a 3-2 lead, manager Joe Girardi summoned Rivera for a four-out save. With two outs, the Mets had runners on 1st and 3rd base. After David Wright stole third base, Rivera struck out catcher Omir Santos looking on a full count to get out of the inning.
This game, being in a N.L. park, was played without the designated hitter. In the top of the 9th, the Yankees loaded the bases with two outs against Mets’ closer Francisco Rodriguez. Rather than trust another member of his bullpen in the bottom of the frame, Girardi allowed Rivera to bat. On a full count, Mo worked the count for a walk, scoring the runner from third. It was the first career RBI for Rivera.
Rivera then returned to the mound to get the final three outs to earn save #500.
The 2009 Postseason
Whether it was coincidental or not, Mariano Rivera’s 500th save jump-started his season and set him on one of the greatest runs of excellence in his remarkable career on the mound. Including that 500th save, Rivera logged a a 0.73 ERA over his final 37 innings in the 2009 regular season. He saved 27 games (against one blown save) in the process. For the campaign as a whole, his age 39 season, Super Mariano’s ERA was 1.76.
The ’09 Yankees won 103 regular season games, easily capturing the A.L. East title. The Yanks then proceeded to sweep the Twins in the ALDS and defeated the Angels in 6 games in the ALCS. In the World Series, the Bronx Bombers were matched up against the defending champion Philadelphia Phillies, the first Yankees-Phillies Fall Classic since 1950.
The Yankees won 3 of the first 5 games in the series, with Rivera earning a 6-out save in Game 2 and a 3-out save in Game 5.
Mariano Rivera Hall of Fame Moment #9: Nov. 4, 2009: World Series Game 6 (Phillies at Yankees)
Game 6 featured a pitching matchup of Andy Pettitte for the Yankees and Pedro Martinez for the Phillies. This would be the last start ever in the Hall of Fame career of Pedro. Martinez gave up 4 runs in 5 innings and, after the Yankees scored 3 more against the Phils’ bullpen in the 5th, the game was essentially over, with the Yankees holding a 7-1 lead.
Ryan Howard hit a two-run tater off Pettitte to cut the score to 7-3, which was the final score. In a non-save situation, the Sandman entered the game with one out in the top of the 8th inning. He got the final five outs to secure the Yankees their 27th World Series title and 5th title for the core of the Yankees for the previous 15 years, himself with Jeter and Pettitte.
Rivera is the only pitcher in the history of baseball to be on the mound to celebrate four different World Series titles.
Mariano’s Milestones
In 2010, at the age of 40, Mariano Rivera continued to dominate the opposition. He saved 33 games, posted a 1.80 ERA and made his 11th All-Star team. The Yankees returned to the postseason party, falling in 6 games in the ALCS to the Rangers. Rivera, for his part, pitched 6 scoreless innings during the 2010 playoffs.
Rivera, now 41 years, saved another 41 games in 2011 while logging a 1.91 ERA. Late in the season, Mo achieved a couple of notable milestones.
Mariano Rivera Hall of Fame Moment #10: September 2011: Saves #600 and #602
I’m going to lump Mariano Rivera’s final Hall of Fame moment by doing a two-for-one, just like a good Happy Hour. Rivera picked up his 600th career save on September 13th, followed by his 602nd six days later. #600 is an obvious milestone. #602 is significant because it allowed him to pass Trevor Hoffman to secure the #1 position on the all-time saves list.
On September 13th in Seattle, Rivera saved the 600th game of his career, protecting a 3-2 lead in the 9th inning for the Yankees by tossing a scoreless frame.
6 days later, on September 19th at Yankee Stadium, Rivera picked up his 602nd save, passing Hoffman to become the game’s all-time save leader.
This clip shows the full inning, starting with Rivera’s traditional Yankee Stadium entrance to the Mettalica song “Enter Sandman.” If you are running out of time and desire to fast-forward to the final out, scroll to 7:25 into the clip.
Shortly after the milestones, the Yankees returned to the postseason for the 16th time in Rivera’s first 17 years in pinstripes. However, the Yankees fell to the Detroit Tigers in 5 games, with Rivera tossing a scoreless 9th inning in a losing effort in the deciding game at Yankee Stadium.
It was October 6th, 2011, and Game 5 of the ALDS was the final postseason outing in Rivera’s Hall of Fame career. He finished his postseason legacy with 96 games and 141 innings pitched, posting a 8-1 record with 42 saves out of 47 chances and a 0.70 ERA. There is no pitcher in the history of baseball who has had a greater postseason impact than Mariano Rivera.
Mariano Rivera’s Final Bows
Just a month into the 2012 season, Rivera tore the anterior cruciate ligament in his right knee while shagging fly balls. It was the most significant injury of his long career and forced him to miss the rest of the campaign. It would have been easy for the 42-year old Rivera to retire. After all, what was there left to accomplish? But Mariano didn’t want his career to end that way and he worked hard to return for a grand finale in 2013.
In his final season, one which would not involve a postseason berth, Rivera took a well-deserved victory lap, taking a proverbial final bow at ballparks throughout the U.S.
Bonus Moment: July 16, 2013 (All-Star Game at Citi Field)
Two final bows are especially notable. The first was in his 13th and final All-Star game, conveniently in New York City, though across town in Queens at Citi Field. The American League had a 3-0 lead in the middle of the 8th inning. A.L. manager Jim Leyland could have waited to have Rivera pick up the save in the 9th but it was not guaranteed that a 9th inning would occur. If the N.L. were to score four runs in the 8th, there might not be a bottom of the 9th.
So, in one of those rare but wonderful baseball moments where the individual was more important than the team, Leyland brought Rivera in to pitch the 8th. The rest of the A.L. squad remained on the steps of the dugout to allow Rivera to enter and take a bow on the field alone.
Of course, after waving to the adoring crowd, the 43-year old Rivera pitched a scoreless inning in his final All-Star outing.
Bonus Moment: Sept. 26, 2013 (Rays v Yankees)
Normally, when recounting the career of a man who saved nearly 700 games and won 5 World Series rings, one wouldn’t finish with an outing in a 4-0 loss. However, that’s what happened and it didn’t matter. The Yankees were out of playoff contention. It was the final game on the schedule at Yankee Stadium.
In the top of the 9th inning, it was time for the Sandman to enter one final time, his 1,115th game pitched for the New York Yankees.
After getting two outs, in order to allow Mariano to soak in the applause and take a final bow, longtime teammates Jeter and Pettitte came out to the mound to take him out of the game, ending one the most consequential careers in the sport’s history.
Rivera finished his career with 7 pennants, 5 rings, 652 saves and a 2.11 ERA, the lowest for any pitcher with at least 1,000 innings pitched in the last 100 years.
Bonus Moment: Jan. 22, 2019: Mariano Rivera Gets the Hall of Fame Call
Forgetting for a moment the silliness that players such as Hank Aaron, Willie Mays and Ted Williams were not unanimous Hall of Fame selections, I can’t think of a player more worthy of the honor of being the first player to be honored with 100% of the vote than Mariano Rivera. Besides being the key cog to 5 World Series titles and 7 pennants, besides being by far the best at his specialized craft in the game’s history, Rivera is the embodiment of class, of dignity and humility.
In a final piece of video, I invite you to watch Rivera and his family when he got the call from Jack O’Connell of the BBWAA to learn that he had been inducted into the Hall. McConnell’s words “you are the first _______” are drowned out by the reaction of Mariano’s family, who knew exactly what being the “first” meant.
Postscript
Today, on a day in which six new members entered the Hall of Fame, Mariano Rivera was once again the closer, the last person to give his acceptance speech. Bernie Williams, Rivera’s longtime teammate in the Bronx and also an accomplished musician, played “Enter Sandman” and “Take Me Out to the Ballgame” on the acoustic guitar prior to the unveiling of Mariano’s plaque.
Rivera, in the beginning of his speech, deadpanned “I don’t understand why I always have to be last.”
As WFAN’s Sweeny Murti noted, Rivera cried himself to sleep in the minor leagues because he couldn’t speak English. Today, he delivered, in English, a thoughtful, eloquent speech. Rivera’s grace and dignity shined through. As true baseball royalty, Mariano was radiant.
“I tried to carry the pinstripes as best that I could. I think I did alright with that.”
— Mariano Rivera (Hall of Fame induction speech, July 21, 2019)
Congratulations Mariano Rivera on a magnificent Major League Baseball career and for living an exemplary life. You are the type of man all of the people of the world can admire.
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