Every batter knew what was coming when they faced Mariano Rivera, so it was hardly necessary for the New York Yankees’ catchers to conceal their signs.They knew it was coming, perhaps the best cut fastball ever delivered by a big leaguer. "I was surprised, but at the same time, grateful that those two guys were walking towards me to get me out and being there with me, for me, when I needed them the most," Rivera recalled shortly after learning he'd become the first unanimous Hall of Fame electee in history. “He didn’t have the cutter yet, but he was sneaky fast and had such great control.”Rivera campaigned to become the team’s closer in 1997, and the Yankees made the decision to let Wetteland – the 1996 World Series MVP – leave as a free agent. Though he posted only eight wins and five saves, he finished third in that year’s American League Cy Young Award vote.“You never know for sure, but we guessed right,” Michael said. It was so powerful that every time that I see that moment, it brings me to emotion. Mariano Rivera was truly out of this world.
Sept. 22, 2013: Rivera is honored in a 50-minute ceremony on "Mariano Rivera Day," as his plaque and uniform number are added to Yankee Stadium's Monument Park. The cutter broke away from right-handers and in to lefties, appearing to be a strike but always darting just out of the hitting zone.Only a knee injury – sustained while shagging fly balls during batting practice on May 3, 2012 in Kansas City’s Kauffman Stadium – slowed him down. Mike Stanton ranks third in postseason history with 53 appearances (55.2 IP) for Atlanta, Boston, Texas, and New York.
Mariano Rivera. NEW YORK - A by-the-numbers look at the career of Yankees' closer Mariano Rivera, elected to Baseball's Hall of Fame on Tuesday: 0.70 Postseason ERA in … He recorded just five blown saves and one loss – in Game 7 of the 2001 World Series – while posting an ERA of 0.70.“I would love,” Rivera said when he announced his retirement,” to be remembered as a player who was always there for others.”The Yankees won five World Series titles during his 19-season career, advancing to the postseason 17 times. And they still couldn’t hit it.Raised in the Panamanian fishing village of Puerto Caimito – about 15 miles from Panama City – Rivera began his baseball journey playing with cardboard gloves and tree-branch bats. His career ERA of 2.21 ranks No.
Learn more about Rivera’s life and career. Sept. 26, 2013: Pettitte and Jeter emerge from the first-base dugout to retrieve the ball in Rivera's final big league appearance, a 4-0 loss to the Rays.