The New York Yankees honored closer Mariano Rivera with a 50-minute ceremony on Sunday. Rivera, baseball's all-time saves leader with 652, was joined by his ex-manager Joe Torre and ex-teammates Jorge Posada, Bernie Williams and Tino Martinez, among others, during the ceremony.
"He was about as good a security blanket as a manager could ever have," said Torre, who won four World Series with Mariano on his pitching staff.
Rivera, who is the only active player still wearing #42 after the number was retired league-wide in honor of Brooklyn Dodgers Jackie Robinson who broke baseball's color barrier, had his jersey hung in the stadium's Monument Park - the first active Yankee to ever receive the honor. Robinson's wife, Rachel, and daughter, Sharon, attended the ceremony.
"It is a great honor for me to be the last baseball player to ever wear No. 42," said Rivera.
The 50-minute ceremony also included heavy metal band Metallica performing "Enter Sandman" on the warning track - Rivera's entrance song since 1999 - as the closer made his way to the mound.
Rivera faces the possibility that Sunday may be his last game at Yankee Stadium with New York three games behind Cleveland in the American League Wild-card standings.
The Yankees defeated the San Francisco Giants 6-0 Saturday night keeping pace in with Cleveland after Ivan Nova pitched his second career shutout.
"If we played like we played last night and today we feel like we can win every game," said left fielder Alfonso Soriano.
- Contribute to this Story:
- Send us a tip
- Send us a photo or video
- Suggest a correction
