Long before he became the greatest closer in MLB history, Mariano Rivera was learning to play baseball on the streets of Panama. With 652 saves and five World Series rings, Rivera is a mortal lock to be enshrined in baseball’s upcoming Hall of Fame class. But his path to Cooperstown was a long and interesting road.
Mariano Rivera was born on November 29, 1969, in Panama City. As a child, he was raised in the town of Puerto Caimito, a small fishing village, with a population south of 4,000 people. Both his father and uncle were fisherman for a living, and during his teenage years it seemed like Mariano might follow in their footsteps.
But instead of fishing, there was baseball. From an early age, Rivera fell in love with the sport. Despite growing up in a poor neighborhood, he and other boys would play baseball for hours on end, using items like milk cartons, fishing net, and tree branches for equipment.
“Growing up back home in Panama, loving the game of baseball. Don’t have much about equipment, or places where we could go play,” he explained. “It was interesting. But at the same time it was great because we find a way to make baseballs or bats or baseball gloves. So we didn’t lack equipment even though we didn’t have the real, we invented it.”
By the time Rivera was 20 years old, his raw talent was undeniable. He was discovered by scouts for the New York Yankees, and signed an amateur contract with the team on February 17, 1990. The contract included a signing bonus of just $2,500 — the equivalent of $4,600 in 2018 US dollars.
Yankees personnel were torn on whether Rivera was best suited as a starter or reliever. However, after Rivera pitched more than 5 scoreless innings in relief during the 1995 ALDS, the team moved him to the bullpen for the 1996 season. That turned out to be a career changing decision.
Rivera was lights out for the entire ‘96 season, as the set-up man to closer John Wetteland. At just 25 years old, he finished third in AL Cy Young voting, posting a 2.09 ERA in over 100 innings of work. The Yankees went on to defeat the Atlanta Braves in the World Series, to win their first title in 18 years. In 1997, Wetteland left New York as a free agent, and Rivera was promoted to full time closer. He held that job for 17 seasons, winning 4 more World Series championships with the team in 1998, 1999, 2000, and 2009. By any statistical measure, Rivera will go down as the greatest closer in MLB history. He holds the all-time record for saves, with 652. He’s also made 13 All Star Games.
Rivera returned for one final season in 2013 after suffering an ACL injury. It is universally agreed among MLB analysts that he will be inducted into the Hall of Fame in 2019, in his first year of eligibility.
This video, "The Genesis of Mariano Rivera", first appeared on nowthisnews.com.
