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Mariano Rivera
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Mariano Rivera (born November 29, 1969 in Panama City, Panama) is a professional baseball player. He is a relief pitcher for Major League Baseball's New York Yankees. Nicknamed "Mo," Rivera originally began his Major League career as a starting pitcher in , but it was after he was moved to the bullpen that he found success. After a breakout year in 1996 as a set-up man, he was converted to closer in 1997, a role he has maintained for the Yankees ever since. He has subsequently become one of the premier closers in the majors, winning the Rolaids Relief Man of the Year Award four times and setting multiple Major League records.
Many people within baseball argue that Rivera is the greatest postseason relief pitcher and the greatest closer in baseball history.
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Encyclopedia
Mariano Rivera (born November 29, 1969 in Panama City, Panama) is a professional baseball player. He is a relief pitcher for Major League Baseball's New York Yankees. Nicknamed "Mo," Rivera originally began his Major League career as a starting pitcher in , but it was after he was moved to the bullpen that he found success. After a breakout year in 1996 as a set-up man, he was converted to closer in 1997, a role he has maintained for the Yankees ever since. He has subsequently become one of the premier closers in the majors, winning the Rolaids Relief Man of the Year Award four times and setting multiple Major League records.
Many people within baseball argue that Rivera is the greatest postseason relief pitcher and the greatest closer in baseball history. Along with having the second-most career regular season saves in Major League history, Rivera is the Major League's all-time postseason leader in saves and ERA. In his career with the Yankees, Rivera has won four World Series titles and been elected an All-Star nine times.
Rivera is well-known for his signature pitch, a sharp-breaking cut fastball he throws almost exclusively. He is the last active MLB player to wear the uniform number 42, which was retired throughout baseball in in honor of Jackie Robinson. He throws and bats right-handed.
Early life
Rivera was born and raised in Panama, frequently playing baseball with his friends by substituting milk cartons for gloves, tree branches for bats, and taping beat-up baseballs. Rivera grew up in the fishing village of Puerto Caimito, and after finishing high school at age 16, Rivera went to work on a commercial fishing boat on which his father, Mariano, was captain. Rivera never dreamed of taking up the profession as an adult, though, calling the job "way too tough." As a 19-year old, Mariano had to abandon a capsizing 120-ton commercial boat he had been aboard, all but convincing him to give the job up.
Baseball career
Minor leagues (1990–1994)
In 1990, a 20 year-old Rivera, then a shortstop, volunteered to pitch for his Panamá Oeste team. A scout for the New York Yankees, Herb Raybourn was in attendance at one of his games. Although Rivera had no formal pitching training, he was throwing 85–87 MPH with a smooth delivery, prompting Raybourn to sign Rivera to a contract with a $3,000 signing bonus. Leaving home for the first time and without knowing any English, Rivera flew to the United States and began pitching for the Gulf Coast League's Yankees squad. Rivera rewarded Raybourn's faith by posting ERAs of 0.17 with the GCL Yankees, 2.75 (with Greensboro) and 2.28 (with Ft. Lauderdale) in 1990, 1991, and 1992, respectively.
Rivera's minor league career was interrupted when he had Tommy John surgery in 1992 to fix nerve damage in his elbow. His rehabilitation coincided with the 1992 expansion draft for the Florida Marlins and Colorado Rockies; Rivera was left unprotected but was not drafted. Rivera successfully rehabilitated his arm in 1993 and resumed pitching that year. In 1994, he ascended from Class A to AA and then AAA, striking out 89 batters while issuing only 20 walks over the course of the year.
Call-up to major leagues (1995)
Rivera's rookie year in the Major Leagues was , initially as a starting pitcher. He found mixed success, posting a 5–3 record and 5.51 ERA that year. As a result, he split time between the Yankees and their AAA affiliate in Columbus. As a 25 year-old rookie with major arm surgery in his past, Rivera's role on the team was not guaranteed. The Yankees considered trading Rivera to the Detroit Tigers for David Wells. However, a surprise improvement prompted a change of heart. In one minor league start, Rivera suddenly began throwing 95–96 MPH. Rivera started ten games for the Yankees that season, participating in a two-hit shutout of the Chicago White Sox on July 4, in which he recorded a career-high eleven strikeouts. Rivera's sudden improvement and his success in the 1995 American League Division Series, in which he pitched 5 1/3 scoreless innings of relief, convinced Yankees' management to keep him and move him into the bullpen the following season.
Set-up man (1996)
In , Rivera served primarily as a set-up man for the closer John Wetteland. Rivera typically would pitch the 7th and 8th innings, before Wetteland pitched in the 9th. Their effectiveness as a tandem essentially shortened their games to 6 innings, as the Yankees had a 70–3 record that season when leading after the 6th inning. The Yankees utilized a "6-2-1" strategy by aiming for six innings from the starting pitcher, two from Rivera, and one from Wetteland. The Yankees won 29 of 31 games in which the pair appeared. Rivera played an important role in the Yankees winning the World Series that year (their first championship since ). In 107 2/3 innings pitched, Rivera recorded a 2.09 ERA, only allowing one home run the entire season. At one point, Rivera pitched 26 consecutive scoreless innings, including 15 consecutive hitless innings. Setting a Yankee record for strikeouts by a reliever in a season (130), Rivera came in third for the American League Cy Young Award voting, behind twenty-game winners Pat Hentgen and teammate Andy Pettitte, respectively.
Closer career (1997–present)
1997–2002
When Wetteland left the team as a free agent the following season, Rivera inherited the role of Yankees' closer for the season. It would not be a seamless transition from set-up man to closer, as he blew three of his first six save opportunities and indicated he was not initially comfortable as closer. Eventually, Rivera settled into the role, earning his first All-Star selection, and finishing with 43 saves and a 1.88 ERA in the 1997 regular season; it was also that year that Rivera began to enter games to Metallica's "Enter Sandman", as well as throw a cut fastball, which quickly became his signature pitch. Rivera's 1997 postseason was not as successful as his regular season. He blew a save in Game 4 of the ALDS against the Cleveland Indians by allowing a game-tying home run to Sandy Alomar, Jr., with the Yankees four outs from advancing to the American League Championship Series. The Yankees eventually lost that game and the next and were eliminated from the playoffs.
Many were concerned that the disappointment of the previous season's end would affect Rivera's performance in the future, but he put any such concerns to rest. In the following seasons, Rivera became one of the best closers in the Major Leagues. Rivera saved 36 games in and finished with a 1.91 ERA, helping the Yankees win 125 total games and another World Series. In , Rivera led the American League with 45 saves and recorded a 1.83 ERA, winning his first Rolaids Relief Man of the Year Award. He was also awarded the World Series MVP Award in securing a third World Series title. Rivera finished 1999 by pitching 43 consecutive scoreless innings between the regular season and postseason. In , Rivera won his third consecutive World Series title and fourth title overall with the Yankees, and it was the third consecutive year that Rivera was on the mound to clinch a championship in the World Series. In , he once again led the American League in saves with 50 and won his second Rolaids Relief Man of the Year Award.
Rivera's success in the postseason has been key in each of the Yankees' four recent World Series titles (in 1996, 1998, 1999, and 2000). His 34 postseason saves and 0.77 lifetime postseason ERA are both Major League records; no pitcher has half as many postseason saves as Rivera. From 1998 to 2001, Rivera converted 23 consecutive postseason saves, and from 1998 to 2000, he pitched 34 1/3 consecutive scoreless innings in the postseason; both feats are also Major League records. Rivera has a record of 8–1 in the postseason with a 0.75 WHIP. He is often called upon to convert two-inning saves in the postseason, recording 12 of this variety. Additionally, he has recorded a 0.00 ERA in seventeen separate postseason series.
Rivera's consistency is such that many remember his failures more so than his successes. Rivera's most disappointing moment came in Game 7 of the 2001 World Series. After pitching a shutout eighth inning, Rivera was two outs from winning a fourth consecutive World Series title when he blew the save and Series in the bottom of the 9th inning, eventually allowing Luis Gonzalez's "bloop" single with the bases loaded to score the winning run.
In , injuries limited Rivera to just 46 innings and 28 saves. He was placed on the disabled list three times for a groin pull and a right shoulder strain.
2003–2004
Rivera missed the first month of the season while he was on the disabled list with a groin injury. While Rivera recovered, Juan Acevedo filled in as closer; Rivera debuted on May 1, re-assuming his closer role and quickly returning to form. During the 2003 season, he appeared in 64 regular season games and posted 40 saves and a 1.66 ERA. In the postseason, Rivera threw 16 2/3 innings while allowing only one run.
In the 2003 American League Championship Series against the wild-card Red Sox, he recorded two-inning saves in Games 3 and 5. In Game 7, Rivera delivered one of the best postseason performances of his career. He entered the game in the 9th inning with the score tied 5–5 and pitched three scoreless innings en route to becoming the game's winning pitcher; it was the first time he had pitched that many innings in a game since 1996. Though Aaron Boone's 11th-inning homer ended the game and clinched the Yankees' World Series berth, Rivera was named the series' MVP for recording two saves and a win. The most memorable image of Rivera from that game was his celebration following Boone's home run; he ran out to the mound and collapsed in joy and exhaustion to thank God, as Boone rounded the bases and was mobbed by his teammates at home plate. Rivera was carried on the shoulders of his teammates during the celebration.
Prior to the 2004 season, with a year left on his contract, Rivera signed a two-year contract extension. The deal also included an option of a third year (for 2007) if Rivera finished enough games.
The season was another stellar year for Rivera. He made the All-Star team with 32 saves at the break, then an American League record. In addition to becoming the seventeenth pitcher in MLB history to record 300 saves, he won his third Rolaids Relief Man of the Year Award and finished third in voting for the Cy Young Award, posting a 1.94 ERA and a career-best 53 saves.
The Yankees won their seventh straight American League East championship. In the 2004 ALDS, Mariano appeared in all four games and allowed no earned runs, despite blowing a save. However, following the ALDS, joy turned to mourning for Rivera. He learned that two of his relatives in Panama had been killed at his home when electrified guard wire fell into the pool they were in. Rivera immediately flew home, and his status for the upcoming ALCS was in doubt. Although the funeral in Panama was held on the same day as Game 1 against the Boston Red Sox, Rivera flew 2,200 miles back to New York and arrived at Yankee Stadium in the 5th inning to a standing ovation. Having suffered through a very emotional day, Rivera was able to record a save later that night, as well as in Game 2.
With the Yankees up three games to none in the series, Rivera blew saves in Games 4 and 5, allowing the Red Sox to avoid elimination. In Game 4, protecting a 4–3 lead in the 9th inning, Rivera walked lead-off hitter Kevin Millar. Pinch runner Dave Roberts stole second base and scored on a single by Bill Mueller to tie the game. The Red Sox eventually won in extra innings. The following night, with the Yankees staked to 4–3 lead in the 8th inning, Rivera entered the game with runners on 1st and 3rd base and no outs. He allowed only a sacrifice fly to Jason Varitek, but it tied the score. Like the night before, the Red Sox would win in extra innings. Rivera only allowed one earned run in the entire 2004 post-season, but the comeback wins in Games 4 and 5 allowed Boston to survive and begin its historic comeback; they would win the series in seven games.
2007–2008
Prior to the season, Rivera attempted to extend his contract, but the Yankees were reluctant to negotiate a deal near the start of the season. Rivera made headlines by responding if he did not receive an extension from the Yankees, he would pursue free agency.
On April 15, 2007, players around the league wore uniform number 42 in honor of the 60th Anniversary of Jackie Robinson breaking the color barrier. Rivera took part in the festivities by wearing the number as usual. For his entire career, Rivera has worn number 42, which has been retired by all Major League Baseball teams since 1997 in honor of Robinson. Rivera is permitted to use the number due to a grandfather clause allowing active players to retain it if they had worn the number prior to its league-wide retirement. As the only remaining player covered by the clause, Rivera will be the last Major League player to wear the number full-time.
Despite a strong spring training, Rivera had an uncharacteristically bad month in April. He blew his first two save opportunities, compiled two losses, and gave up nine earned runs in 7 2/3 innings. Rivera saved one game that month and his performance prompted people to question whether something was wrong with him. Many attributed his struggles early in the year to infrequent use, as the Yankees presented him with few opportunities to enter a game. Rivera recovered, saving 30 of his next 32 opportunities and posting a 2.22 ERA over the final five months of the season. Still, the 2007 regular season was Rivera's weakest statistical season as a closer, in many respects. He gave up career highs in earned runs (25) and hits (68) as a closer, and his 3.15 ERA was his highest mark as a reliever. His 30 saves in 34 opportunities were his second-lowest total as a closer. However, he did strikeout 9.34 batters per 9 innings pitched, then, his best mark as a closer, and he was fourth in the American League with 58 games finished.
On July 14, 2007, Rivera passed John Franco for third place on the all-time saves list by recording his 425th career save in a game against the Tampa Bay Devil Rays.
In the 2007 postseason, Rivera appeared in three games and pitched 4 2/3 scoreless innings, all in non-save situations. He lowered his all-time best postseason ERA to 0.77. Still, the Yankees failed to advance past the first round for the third consecutive year. The day after the Yankees were eliminated from the playoffs, Rivera stated that he intended to test the free agent market, though he eventually agreed to a 3-year, $45 million contract to remain a Yankee. This contract, averaging $15 million per year, made him the highest paid reliever in baseball history.
Rivera started the season on a hot streak. Within the first two weeks of the 2008 season, Rivera matched his save total (four) through the first two months of the 2007 season. Rivera pitched 11 innings in April, going eight-for-eight in save opportunities and allowing four baserunners, earning him the DHL Presents the Delivery Man of the Month Award for April. Rivera set a personal best by pitching 16 consecutive scoreless innings to start the season. On June 2, 2008, Rivera was named the American League Player of the Week for pitching five scoreless innings and converting three saves the previous week. Rivera also became the first pitcher since 1975 to successfully convert his first 22 save opportunities without allowing any runs in those outings.
His performance in the first half of the season, highlighted by a 1.06 ERA and 23 saves in as many opportunities, earned him his ninth All-Star invitation. With the 2008 MLB All-Star Game being held at Yankee Stadium in the venue's final year of existence, some people proposed making Rivera the American League starting pitcher to pay tribute to him and the stadium. Rivera was eventually chosen to be the American League closer; he entered the game in a non-save situation in the 9th inning and pitched 1 2/3 scoreless innings in the American League's 4-3 extra inning victory.
Rivera struggled early in the second half, pitching worse in non-save situations, blowing his first save of the season, and giving up a game-tying or game-winning hit in three consecutive outings. However, he recovered in the stretch run, only allowing one run and six baserunners in his final 17 2/3 innings. On September 15, 2008, Rivera recorded his 479th save, passing Lee Smith for second all-time on the regular season career saves list. Rivera only trails Trevor Hoffman in career regular season saves. On September 21, 2008, against the Baltimore Orioles in the final game in Yankee Stadium history, Rivera pitched the last half-inning of baseball and threw the final pitch in the stadium's history, retiring Brian Roberts on a ground-out to first base. The Yankees were eliminated from postseason contention two days later, making 2008 the first year in Rivera's career the Yankees did not qualify for the playoffs. In the last week of the season, Rivera was examined for shoulder pain he had been suffering from for the entire season. Tests revealed inflammation and calcification of the acromioclavicular joint in his throwing shoulder. Rivera decided to undergo minor arthroscopic surgery in the offseason.
Rivera finished 2008 with perhaps the best season of his career. Along with a 1.40 ERA and 39 saves in 40 chances, he set career bests in multiple statistical categories, including WHIP (0.67), OPS-against (.422), batting average against (.165), strikeout-to-walk ratio (12.83), save conversion percentage (97.5%), walks (6), earned runs (11), blown saves (1), and pitches per inning (13.9). His strikeouts per 9 innings pitched was 9.81, his best mark as a closer. In addition, he did not allow more than one earned run in any outing all year. His strikeout-to-walk ratio of 12.83 made him the second pitcher since 1900 (minimum 60 innings pitched) to record a figure that high in a single season. Rivera's 2008 performance earned him a fifth-place finish in the AL Cy Young Award voting.
The cutter
Rivera's signature pitch is his cut fastball or "cutter." He mixes this pitch with both a four-seam and two-seam fastball. He throws all three between 91 and 97 MPH, usually at 92–95 MPH. The origin of the cutter is in question: Rivera explained to Adrian Wojnarowski of The Bergen Record that he discovered the cutter accidentally while playing catch with Ramiro Mendoza. He told Tom Verducci of Sports Illustrated, "It was just from God. I didn’t do anything. It was natural." A New York Daily News article written by T.J. Quinn, however, claims that Rivera learned to throw his cutter from John Wetteland when Rivera was his set-up man in 1996. Rivera's cutter is a heavily feared pitch by Major League hitters. Chipper Jones once compared it to a "buzzsaw," (referring to its tendency of breaking left-handed hitters' bats) after witnessing teammate Ryan Klesko break three bats in a plate appearance against Rivera in the 1999 World Series. Jim Thome called it "the single best pitch ever in the game." In 2004, ESPN.com ranked Rivera's cutter as the best "out pitch" in baseball. Buster Olney referred to Rivera's cut fastball as "the most dominant pitch of a generation." Although switch-hitters usually bat left-handed against right-handed pitchers to better see the ball's release point, many switch-hitters bat right-handed when facing Rivera to avoid being jammed on the hands by his cutter.
Legacy
Although the subject is continuously debated, some people in the baseball world consider Rivera to be the best relief pitcher in postseason history and the greatest closer in baseball history. Hall of Fame starter-turned-closer Dennis Eckersley calls Rivera "the best ever, no doubt...", while Trevor Hoffman, the only closer with more saves than Rivera, says he "will go down as the best reliever in the game in history." Buster Olney says "no other player can instill calm in his team's fans as reliably as Mariano Rivera, the game's dominant closer and arguably the best relief pitcher of all time." Joe Torre, who managed Rivera for most of his career says, "He's the best I've ever been around. Not only the ability to pitch and perform under pressure, but the calm he puts over the clubhouse." Elliott Kalb rated Rivera as the 62nd greatest player of all time and suggests Rivera may be the "best relief pitcher in Yankee history" and the "possibly best relief pitcher in baseball history." Although voters have historically been reluctant to allow relievers into the Baseball Hall of Fame, many sports writers and baseball experts anticipate Rivera will be voted into the Baseball Hall of Fame in his first year of eligibility, once he retires.
In a position known for its volatility and turnover, Rivera has been described as standing out for his composure and consistency, performing well in the role in the twelve years he has maintained it. As a reliever, Rivera has finished the regular season with a sub-3.00 ERA in all but one season, and only once in his career has he pitched fewer than 60 innings in a season. His tenure as the Yankees' closer has exceeded the ordinary lifetime of a Major League closer, as he is the only pitcher to remain tenured as closer for the same team since 2002.
Many have praised Rivera for his humility and generosity. Rivera is involved with philanthropic contributions in his native Panama, which includes building an elementary school and a church, providing Christmas gifts to children, and developing a program that provides computer access and adult mentors to youths.
Awards and honors
Rivera won the World Series MVP Award and Babe Ruth Award in 1999, after recording two saves and a win in the World Series. He was honored with the 2003 American League Championship Series MVP Award for also recording two saves and win in the series. Rivera has also won the Rolaids Relief Man of the Year Award four times (1999, 2001, 2004, and 2005). In honor of the men and women who served New York City during the September 11 attacks, and since relief pitchers are sometimes referred to as "firemen," he donated his 2001 trophy to the New York City Fire Department. It is on permanent display at the FDNY's Brooklyn headquarters. Rivera has been named an American League All-Star on nine occasions (1997, 1999, 2000, 2001, 2002, 2004, 2005, 2006, and 2008). He has also won This Year in Baseball's Closer of the Year Award three times (in 2004, 2005, and 2006) and the DHL Delivery Man of the Year Award twice (in 2005 and 2006). Rivera is also a five-time The Sporting News Reliever of the Year Award recipient, earning the honor in 1997, 1999, 2001, 2004, and 2005. Other honors include being voted Baseball America's 1st-Team Major League All-Star reliever in 1999, 2001, 2004, and 2005 and being named the New York Yankees Player of the Year in 2005.
Accomplishments and records
Rivera has accomplished numerous feats and set several Major League records in his career:
Personal life
Rivera married his wife Clara on November 9, 1991. They have three sons: Mariano Jr., Jafet, and Jaziel.
Mariano is the cousin of former Yankee Rubén Rivera.
Rivera is a deeply religious Christian. He maintains that God has a reason for everything that happens. For example, Rivera found his failure in Game 7 of the 2001 World Series easier to deal with when he learned of the consequences it had on a teammate. Had the Yankees won Game 7 and the World Series, Enrique Wilson would have flown home to the Dominican Republic and been aboard the deadly American Airlines Flight 587. "I am glad we lost the World Series," Rivera told Wilson, "because it means that I still have a friend." Rivera's pitching glove is inscribed with a reference to Philippians 4:13 ("I can do all things through Christ, who strengthens me.")
Rivera is a partner in a restaurant in New Rochelle, New York called "Mo's New York Grill".
Career statistics
See also
External links
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