Mariano Rivera
Mariano Rivera (Mariano Rivera, November 29, 1969-), also translated as Rivera, nicknamed Mo, Sandman and The Hammer of God, is the closer of Major League Baseball New York Yankees. Rivera was actually a starting pitcher at the beginning of his career, but his success after moving to the bullpen made him a closer, and he immediately became one of the most outstanding relief pitchers in the modern era. On September 15, 2008, Rivera surpassed Lee Smith and became the player with the second most successful saves in the history of the major leagues. On September 20, 2011, in the New York Yankees' game against the Minnesota Twins, he pitched a perfect ninth inning, helping the Yankees maintain the result and defeat the Twins 6-4. Rivera's 602nd save was successful, surpassing former Padres' ace reliever Hoffman and rewriting the major league record.
Many people think Rivera is the greatest relief pitcher in the postseason and one of the best closers in baseball history. He has the highest number of saves in history, and is the player with the most saves and the lowest ERA in the postseason in history. During his career with the Yankees, he won five World Series championships.
Rivera's most famous ball type - sharp cutting ball. He was also the last major league player to use the number 42, which commemorated Jackie Robinson's retirement in 1997.
- Chinese name Mariano Rivera
- Foreign name Mariano Rivera
- AliasMo
- BirthplacePanama Panama City
- Date of birthNovember 29, 1969
- Height
88 cm - Weight9 kg
- Sports Baseball
- Sports teams New York Yankees
- Professional features Carter Ball
Professional Baseball Career
Minor League (1990-1994)
In 1990, Rivera was a shortstop and volunteered as a pitcher to join the Panama West Team. New York Yankees scout Herb Raybourn went to watch one of his games. Although Rivera had no formal pitching training, he could smoothly throw at a speed of 85-87MPH (136.7 kilometers-140 kilometers per hour). Rayburn immediately signed a $3,000 contract with Rivera. Rivera pitched in the 1A minor leagues, pitching to a 2.75 ERA in 1991 (with the Greensboro Grasshoppers) and a 2.28 ERA in 1992 (with Fort Lauderdale ).
Rivera performed ulnar accessory ligament reconstruction surgery to repair an injured elbow in 1992. His recovery coincided with the 1992 expansion draft. Although Rivera was not protected by the team, he did not participate in the draft. In 1993, Rivera successfully restored his arm and pitched again that year. In 1994, he was quickly promoted to 1A, 2A and 3A, striking out 289 times and walking only 20 times that year.
Promoted to the major leagues (1995)
In 1995, Rivera made his first major league appearance. Rivera was originally a starting pitcher, but his success or failure was mixed. His rookie season record was 5 wins and 3 losses, with an ERA of 5.51, and he was up and down in the major leagues and Triple-A minor leagues. Rivera's pitching ability at the time was average, and his fastball speed was about 88 to 90 MPH (141.6 kilometers-144.8 kilometers per hour). The fact that he was 25 years old, and had been out for three years due to elbow surgery, made the Yankees want to trade him and nearly traded him to the Detroit Tigers in exchange for David Welsh.But for some reason, Rivera surprised the Yankees' management by throwing 95 to 96 MHP in the minor leagues. During the season, Rivera made ten starts, and against the Chicago White Sox , he participated in a 2-hit game and struck out a career-high 11 times.
Rivera's unexpected improvement in the 1995 American League Division Series, in which he gave up no runs in 5.1 innings of relief in one game, led the Yankees management to decide to retain him and move him to the bullpen.
Layout pitcher (1996)
In 1996, he became the layout pitcher to help the team's closer John Wetteland (John Wetteland). Rivera usually pitched in the 7th and 8th innings before Wetteland pitched the 9th inning. In 1996, the Yankees were 70-3 if they led after the sixth inning. Their efforts basically shortened the tournament to 6 games, meaning they secured the victory after the 7th, 8th and 9th games. When the Yankees won their first World Series title since 1978, Rivera played an important role. In 107.2 innings pitched that season, he only allowed one home run, but struck out 130 times, setting a record for the most strikeouts by a Yankees reliever. He finished third in the Cy Young Award voting, behind 20-win Cy Young Award winner Pat Hentgen and teammate Andy Pettit.
Terminator career (1997-)
When Wetteland left in 1997, Rivera became the Yankees' ace closer. This transition was not very smooth, because in his first 6 rescue opportunities, he failed to save 3 times, but he immediately rebounded and had a strong performance during the season, and also won himself the first All-Star Game in his career. He also pitched 43 successful saves and an ERA of 1.88 that season. Rivera threw a good cutter that year, and it immediately became his signature pitch. Unfortunately, against the Cleveland Indians in the playoffs, they were only two outs away from advancing to the American League Championship Series. Rivera failed to save in Game 4 and was hit by Sandy Alomar Jr.'s game-tying home run. The Yankees lost the next game and were eliminated from the playoffs.
998-2000
In the 1998 season, Rivera became one of the best closers in the major leagues. He was one of the most stable, dominant and reliable relief pitchers in the major leagues. This year, he had 36 saves, an ERA of 1.91, and helped the Yankees reach the World Series and win the championship. In 1999, Rivera led the AL in saves (45 times), had 2 saves in the World Series, and won the World Series Most Valuable Player Award.
As a relief pitcher, Rivera often finished the regular season with an ERA below 3.00. His performance in the postseason has always been particularly good. Rivera's dominant performance in the postseason played a key role in the Yankees' four championships in the late 1990s (1996 World Series, 1998 World Series, 1999 World Series, and 2000 World Series). His career postseason ERA is 0.77 and he has made 34 saves, both major league records. From 1998 to 2001, Rivera made 23 consecutive saves in the playoffs and pitched 34.1 consecutive scoreless innings from 1998 to 2000, both of which are major league records.
Carter ball
Rivera's characteristic ball type - Carter ball, his ball type combines two-seam fastball and four-seam fastball. The speed of his three types of ball ranges from 91 to 97MPH (145.4 kilometers-156.1 kilometers). Regarding the origin of his Carter Ball, Rivera explained in "The Bergen Record" that he accidentally discovered the Carter Ball while practicing pitching with Ramiro Mendoza. He told Sports Illustrated: "It came from God, I didn't do anything, it was natural." T.J. Quinn of the New York Daily News stated that Rivera learned the Carter pitch from John Wetteland while working as a pitcher in 1996.
Rivera's Carter ball makes major league hitters fearful. Chibber Jones likened it to a "buzz saw" (because it has a sudden change effect on left-handed hitters' base entry); Jim Tommy also said that it is: "the best single ball." ESPN's Ernie Baskett said Rivera's Carter ball is "the most dominant ball." Although right-handed hitters usually stand in the left zone when facing right-handed pitchers, where it is easier to know where to release the ball, many open-handed hitters will choose the right zone when facing Rivera to avoid being frozen by Carter's ball.
Legend
Ace relief pitcher (terminator) The playing time of this position is often unstable, but Rivera's performance in this role is difficult to ignore. His performance as an ace relief pitcher (terminator) has become a representative figure of stable and dazzling performances. Many appreciated Rivera's humility, generosity and kindness, traits that are hard to find in superstar athletes. Rivera always took responsibility for his performance when pitches went poorly. Once he retired, most sportswriters and baseball experts expected Rivera to be elected to the Baseball Hall of Fame in his first year of eligibility.
Awards and Honors
Rivera has won the American League Relief Pitcher of the Year Award 4 times (1999, 2001, 2004, 2005), and the DHL Relief King of the Year Award in 2005 and 2006. He donated his 2001 award to the New York City Fire Department and placed it permanently at the FDNY's Brooklyn headquarters. He won the Most Valuable Player Award in the 1999 World Series. He saved 2 times in 4 games to help the Yankees sweep Atlanta. He was also the pitcher with the most saves in the postseason among major league pitchers.
Trivia
His entrance music was "Enter Sandman" by Metallica.
Achievements
Rivera had many achievements in his professional baseball career:
- The second pitcher in history to reach 500 saves.
had his 1,000th career strikeout on September 18, 2009.
- became the second pitcher in history to reach 600 and the first to reach 650 and became the most successful pitcher in history.
- The first relief pitcher in history to win the All-Star Game Most Valuable Player Award.
Private life
- Rivera married his wife Clara on November 9, 1991, and they have three children.
- Rivera is the cousin of former New York Yankees player Rubén Rivera.
Rivera is a devout Christian. He believes that everything that happens is arranged by God for a reason. A famous example occurred during the 2001 World Series. Although Rivera failed to save in Game 7, if the Yankees had won that year, teammate Enrique Wilson would have had to stay in New York to participate in the victory parade and fly back to the Dominican Republic on American Airlines Flight 587. The flight crashed shortly after takeoff, killing all 260 people on board. Rivera later told Wilson: "I'm glad my rescue failed because we are still friends." And Rivera’s gloves were printed with Philippians 4:13 (I can do all things through Christ who strengthens me).
Rivera has a joint restaurant in New Rochelle, in New York, called "Mo's New York Grill". It has been renamed "The Clubhouse Grill" since 2011.
