New York Yankees pitcher Mariano Rivera is universally regarded as the best reliever ever to step on an MLB mound.
The fact he has been the only player ever to be elected to the National Baseball Hall of Fame unanimously speaks for itself.
On this day, but ten years ago, we were able to witness greatness one last time.
“OTD in 2013: Major League Baseball’s all-time saves leader and only unanimous Hall of Famer, Mariano Rivera, exited the field for the final time,” MLB Vault tweeted.
OTD in 2013: Major League Baseball’s all-time saves leader and only unanimous Hall of Famer, Mariano Rivera, exited the field for the final time. pic.twitter.com/CyPczbuuFB
— MLB Vault (@MLBVault) September 26, 2023
The Yankees prepared a surprise for him.
He had already gotten the first two outs of the ninth inning when Andy Pettitte and Derek Jeter, his longtime teammates and friends, walked to the mound to remove him from the game.
This was done with the specific purpose of the fans at Yankee Stadium giving him a nice, long standing ovation as he exited the game and, ultimately, his career.
Rivera didn’t know that was the plan, and collapsed in Pettitte’s shoulder once he got to the mound.
It was one of the most touching scenes in the league that year.
Rivera, a man who won five World Series titles with the Yankees and holds numerous regular season and postseason records, was crying as he left to the dugout, not before acknowledging the fans as he went there.
He retired with a brilliant 2.21 ERA and 652 saves, the most in MLB history to this day.
He was a true difference-maker in the Yankees bullpen, a man who fooled hitters even though they knew what pitch was coming.
There hasn’t been another reliever like Rivera, and there never will be.
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