Mariano Rivera

Mariano Rivera (born November 29, 1969) is a Panamanian-American former MLB pitcher who played his entire 19-season career with the New York Yankees, from 1995 to 2013. Known as "Mo" and "Sandman," he worked primarily as a relief pitcher and was the Yankees' closer for 17 seasons. A 13-time All-Star and five-time World Series champion, Rivera holds MLB's all-time records for saves (652) and games finished (952). He earned five AL Rolaids Relief Man Awards and three Delivery Man of the Year Awards, and finished in the top three for the AL Cy Young Award four times.

In 2019, he was elected to the Baseball Hall of Fame on his first ballot, becoming the only player ever chosen unanimously by the BBWAA. Rivera grew up in the poor Panamanian fishing village of Puerto Caimito. He played amateur baseball until the Yankees signed him in 1990. He debuted in the majors in 1995 as a starter but switched to relief pitching later that year.

After a standout 1996 season as a setup man, he became the Yankees' closer in 1997. He led the majors in saves in 1999, 2001, and 2004. His signature pitch was a mid-90s mph cut fastball that often broke bats and was considered one of the toughest pitches to hit. Entering games to the ominous song "Enter Sandman," Rivera was a key part of the Yankees' late-1990s and early-2000s dynasty, which won four championships in five years.

He excelled in the postseason, winning the 1999 World Series MVP and the 2003 ALCS MVP, and set postseason records for lowest ERA (0.70) and most saves (42). Regarded as one of the most dominant relievers in history, Rivera saved at least 25 games in 15 consecutive seasons and posted an ERA under 2.00 in 11 seasons—both records. At retirement, his career 2.21 ERA and 1.00 WHIP were the lowest in the live-ball era among qualified pitchers. He is credited with popularizing the cut fastball across MLB.

He was also known for his precise control, smooth delivery, and calm demeanor. In 2013, the Yankees retired his number 42; he was the last MLB player to wear it full-time after the league retired it in 1997 for Jackie Robinson. In 2014, MLB named its AL Reliever of the Year Award after Rivera. A devout Christian, Rivera has been active in charity and religious work through the Mariano Rivera Foundation.

He received the Presidential Medal of Freedom in September 2019. Rivera was born on November 29, 1969, in Panama City to Mariano Rivera Palacios and Delia Jiron. He has an older sister, Delia, and two younger brothers, Alvaro and Giraldo. His father captained a fishing boat, and the family lived in the poor village of Puerto Caimito.

As a boy, Rivera played soccer and baseball on the beach at low tide, using cardboard milk cartons for gloves, tree branches for bats, and taped fishing net scraps for balls. His father bought him his first leather glove when he was 12. He said he stayed out of trouble but "was hanging with the wrong people."

Rivera attended Escuela Victoriano Chacón and La Escuela Secundaria Pedro Pablo Sanchez but dropped out in ninth grade. At 16, he worked on his father's commercial fishing boat, catching sardines six days a week, year-round. He called the work "extremely hard" and hoped to become a mechanic, saving money to open an auto repair shop. Two incidents on the boat made him doubt fishing as a career: in 1988, his uncle Miguel was fatally injured by a loose rope; about a year later, at age 19, Rivera had to abandon the ship after it began capsizing due to a faulty water pump and an overloaded catch.

He played sports through his teens but quit soccer around 17 after ankle and knee injuries, shifting to baseball as a hobby. At 18, he joined the amateur team Panamá Oeste Vaqueros as a utility player. Scout Herb Raybourn saw him play shortstop in 1988 but didn't think he'd make the majors. A year later, when the team's pitcher struggled in a playoff game, Rivera was asked to replace him—despite having no pitching experience—and pitched well. Teammates then contacted Yankees scout Chico Heron.