| Rivera Announces Retirement |
| By Sally Haase March 13, 2013 After nearly two decades in Yankees pinstripes, their closer announced his retirement over the weekend. Mariano Rivera will retire from baseball at the end of the 2013 season; he spent his entire career with the New York Yankees who went from a starting pitcher to one of the best if not the best closer in the game. Rivera really turned closing games into an art, for as many years he was closing games, the opposing batters seemed to never figure him out. Sure there were some times when Rivera blew a save, but those were few and far between when you got to him it was usually because Rivera was not able to complete his extensive warm-up routine that he starts in the seventh or eighth inning. If that brilliant cut fastball of Rivera was not cutting the way it should, the opposing team had a chance, once Rivera was completely warm, it was lights out. It has been lights out 608 times so far for Rivera and the Yankees, a Major League record. The saves record is not the only honor in Rivera’s illustrious career; he is a 12 time All-Star, a five time World Series champion and the World Series MVP in 1999. Even with his career saves numbers, Rivera stunningly led the league in save for only three seasons- 1999, 2001, and 2004. Say what you will about the Yankees, I know they are the most polarizing team in baseball, but Rivera is what Yankees baseball is all about. He is a player who works his rear end off every time he steps out on the mound and is one of the classiest players to ever put on a major league uniform. Rivera is without a doubt a first ballot Hall of Fame inductee and he has earned his place in Cooperstown. |
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